Feb. 16, 2012
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By David Buchman
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's tennis team will host North Florida Friday at 2 p.m. Coming off of two road losses, the Knights are looking to defend their turf at the UCF Tennis Complex and get back to their winning ways. Admission to the match is free for all spectators.
The Knights (2-3) have played their best tennis at home. With a 2-1 record so far at the UCF Tennis Complex this season, the key to winning for the Knights has been starting fast, winning the doubles point and carrying the momentum through singles play.
North Florida (3-2) opened the 2012 season ranked No. 74 after finishing 2011 No. 75. With an early shutout loss to No. 42 Florida State, the Ospreys bounced back with a 5-2 win against ranked opponent Radford (No. 71 at the time).
Since the Radford win, North Florida has fallen out of the national rankings even after posting victories against Georgia Southern and Barry. In the team's latest match, the Ospreys fell 7-0 to Armstrong Atlantic State.
For the Knights, junior Juan Bolona (Miami, Fla.) and sophomore Matthew Gladstone (Surfside, Fla.) are 4-0 as a pair in doubles play and have dominated opponents from the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. In singles, juniors Jorge Blasco (Alicante, Spain) and Mario Samson (Miami, Fla) along with sophomore Erik Brunskog (Linkoping, Sweden) lead the team with three wins each.