Feb. 25, 2011
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By Sean Simon
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's tennis team returns to action at home this weekend for a pair of in-state matchups. The Knights face Florida Atlantic on Saturday at 11 a.m. and Florida Gulf Coast on Sunday at 10 a.m. Admission to both matches is free at the UCF Tennis Complex.
The Knights (4-4) clinched a 4-3 victory on Thursday against visiting Stetson, led by senior Blaze Schwartz's (Pensacola, Fla.) victory at No. 2 singles. In No. 1 doubles Schwartz paired with Joe Delinks (Falmouth, Mass.) to take down the 40th-ranked duo in the country, 8-5. Freshmen Leonel Vivas (Caracas, Venezuela) and Mitch Thams (Queensland, Australia) also picked up singles victories at No. 3 and 6 respectively.
Florida Atlantic is also 4-4 on the year, coming off a loss to No. 39 Miami. The Owls are led by nationally-ranked singles player Marc Abdelnour who is 7-1 on the year. UCF has won the last 11 matchups against the Owls, including league victories over the former Atlantic Sun Conference foe.
Florida Gulf Coast is 0-3 on the year, with two postponed matches. The Eagles trip to Orlando, originally scheduled for Feb. 6, was postponed due to rain. FGCU will play Stetson on Saturday before facing UCF on Sunday morning. The Knights and Eagles last met in 2009, resulting in a 6-1 Black and Gold victory.