Jan. 27, 2012
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By David Buchman
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's tennis team returns to action at home this Saturday as Jacksonville comes to town for the second of 13 home events for the Knights this season. Play at the UCF Tennis Complex will begin at Noon and admission is free for all spectators.
Saturday's match gives UCF a chance to claim its first victory of the spring and the luxury to do so in front of the home crowd. As for Jacksonville, it will be the season opener for the Dolphins.
The Knights (0-1) come into the event following a hard-fought match last Sunday against No. 41 Wake Forest. Three Knights picked up singles victories during the event, including Jorge Blasco's (Alicante, Spain) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 defeat of No. 115 Danny Kreyman.
Mario Samson (Miami, Fla.) and Matthew Gladstone (Surfside, Fla.) were the two other Knights to pick up singles victories Sunday, and they did so in similar fashion.
Both Samson and Gladstone fell in their first sets but rallied back in the second set to tie the match. Battling fatigue, both were able to defeat their respective opponents in the third set where both forced a super tie-breaker and played to 10. The two were also able to pick up a win as a doubles pair where they defeated Conner Sherwood and Alex Tsai 8-7.
"We played very well against Wake Forest, and I'm proud of our team for fighting the way we did," senior Joe Delinks (Falmouth, Mass.) said. "While we don't accept moral victories as an outcome, we have confidence in each other as the rest of the season begins against Jacksonville."
Last season when the two schools faced-off in dual match play, UCF defeated Jacksonville 4-3 as Delinks and Samson each picked up victories.