April 17, 2012
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By David Buchman
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF Tennis Complex is set to host the 2012 Conference USA Men's Tennis championship starting Thursday. UCF men's tennis head coach Bobby Cashman is excited that the Knights have the opportunity to host the event.
"It's really nice," Cashman said about hosting. "It has been a couple of years and anytime we can host such a huge event in our backyard, it's great."
This year's championship will mark the second time that UCF has been selected to host the C-USA men's Tennis Championship since UCF joined the conference in 2005. UCF will open the tournament Thursday at 2 p.m. against East Carolina. For a pair of seniors on the Knights roster, the championship will offer the opportunity to play their final collegiate events at home.
"For Joe [Delinks] and Eugene [Dolgovykh] this will be an excellent way for them to finish their career as Knights," Cashman noted. "These two guys thrive off the competition that tournaments present and they play their best at home. The stage is set for them to make a grand exit."
With the level of competition rising in C-USA over the years, the Knights will look to take advantage of playing at home. Memphis was the only C-USA team to visit the UCF Tennis Complex over the season, while the Knights visited Tulane and Tulsa.
"The league has improved and is competitive from top to bottom," Cashman said about C-USA. "Teams from our league have been in and out of the rankings all season long. The good thing is every team starts with a clean slate when you enter the conference tournament and it doesn't matter what your record was in the regular season, our goal is to always get better."
Admission to all four days of the event is free for all spectators who wish to attend.