May 26, 2010
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Facing one of the most challenging schedules in school history, the UCF men's tennis squad achieve great success in 2010. For the Knights, the campaign was filled with big victories, impressive individual performances and strong doubles play.
A Program on the Rise
Throughout the 2010 spring season, the Knights showed that the UCF program is on the rise. Despite the tough schedule, the squad posted a 12-8 mark and closed the year by winning three of its final four matches. The Knights spent ample time in the national rankings, moving to as high as No. 61 in early March. Five letterwinners from this season will be back next year.
Plant a Seed
UCF earned the third seed at the Conference USA Championship in Houston. The seed for the Knights was the best since the school joined C-USA in 2005. UCF began the tournament by posting a 4-2 victory over sixth-seed East Carolina in the quarterfinals.
Sensational Senior
Brock Sakey concluded his collegiate career in fine fashion, earning a spot on the All-Conference USA First Team. Sakey recorded a 15-3 mark in dual-match play. He went 8-1 at No. 2 and also posted a 1-1 record at the No. 1 position. On four occasions, he registered victories over players from nationally-ranked teams. Sakey ended the year on a four-match winning streak. His most impressive win during the campaign came at Tulsa when he registered a 6-3, 1-6, 6-4 victory at No. 3 over Ashley Watling, the 50th-ranked player in the country. Including the fall tournament season, he went 21-6 in singles action in 2009-10.
Record Breaker
Brock Sakey became UCF's all-time leader in singles wins during the spring. He concluded his career with 85 singles victories. Antonio Sierra, who played for head coach Bobby Cashman from 2001-05, had the previous record of 75 wins.
Spring Challenge
The Knights faced eight nationally-ranked squads during the spring. On six occasions, UCF played a ranked team on the road.
Taking Down a Rival
At the end of the regular season, the Knights picked up a huge win over rival USF in Tampa. Playing in front of a raucous crowd at the USF Tennis Complex, the Knights won all three doubles tilts to start the match and then took three singles contests to take a 4-3 win over the Bulls. Doubles Dominance
UCF was dominating all spring in doubles play. The Knights posted a combined 43-14 (75.4 percent) record in doubles. At the top of the lineup, Marc Rocafort and Blaze Schwartz went 13-6. Joe Delinks and Johan Beigart also went 13-6 at No. 2. At No. 3, Claudio Romano and Brock Sakey registered a 15-2 mark.
Senior Moments
UCF's three seniors had plenty of singles success in the spring. Johan Beigart, Marc Rocafort and Brock Sakey combined for 36 singles victories in dual-match play. Beigart went 10-5, while Rocafort was 11-9.
Academic Excellence
When Conference USA announced the league's commissioner's academic honor roll this spring, members of the men's tennis squad were well represented. Five Knights - Johan Beigart, Claudio Romano, Brock Sakey, Mario Samson and Blaze Schwartz - were all recognized for having cumulative grade point averages of 3.0 or better.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.