April 16, 2013
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By Mike Garabedian
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's tennis team will look to seek its first Conference USA championship title when it travels to Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday. Like last year's championship, the Knights, who hold the No. 8 seed, will open play at the Dunavant-Wellford Tennis Center against No. 9 East Carolina at 3 p.m. EDT.
"We have the talent to compete with anyone, we just need to put it all together in Memphis," head coach Bobby Cashman said. "We need to forget about the regular season and treat each match like a championship."
The Knights are 10-9 heading into the tournament, while ECU is 15-5. The two squads were set to dual Feb. 23 in Statesboro, Ga., but rain caused the match to be cancelled.
At the C-USA Championship in Orlando last season, the Knights bounced the Pirates 4-0 in the opening round. UCF has had its fair share of success against ECU in the past, owning a 4-2 all-time record which includes two first round victories at the C-USA Championships in the past three years.
Jorge Blasco will lead the team and put his 2-2 record on the line when he competes against No. 124 Joran Vliegen.
The Knights will have their hands full in doubles action once again, when they are set to battle with Vliegen and Colin Roller, the No. 59-ranked duo in the nation.
Both Blasco and fellow Spain native, Francesc Aulina are tied for second on the team with 14 wins on the season. Matthew Gladstone sits on top of the stat chart with 16 victories, alternating between the No. 4 and 5 slots.
Conference USA has five schools inside the ITA team rankings with No. 23 Tulsa highlighting the bunch. If UCF gets past ECU, it will face off with No. 1 overall seed, Tulsa, Friday at 11 a.m. CT.
Since UCF is set to enter the American Athletic Conference next year, this marks the last time the Knights will compete at the C-USA Championships.
Stay up to date with all UCF men's tennis news by following the team socially on twitter @UCFM_Tennis and liking the UCF men's tennis Facebook page. For live information on the C-USA Championship, be sure to follow @ConferenceUSA1 and #CUSACHAMP.