Jan. 23, 2015
UCF Athletics Social Media Directory
By Joey Nelson
UCFKnights.com
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ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The Knights were all smiles Friday after dropping FGCU at the UCF Tennis Complex 6-1 to begin their dual-match season. Jumping out to a 1-0 start was vital for a young unit that Head Coach Stephanie Nickitas believes delivered a big statement with comfortable wins.
"We're just really happy with the start that we had today," Nickitas said. "We had a very close match with them in our first match of the season last year, and I think this was a big statement to come back and beat them so handily."
UCF (1-0) certainly stuffed FGCU (0-2) early, claiming two doubles matches to secure a 1-0 lead. Behind a 6-0 shutout at No. 2 were junior Caroline Eberhart and freshman Kennan Johnson. At the No. 3 position, duo Clare Mendell and Monica Matias registered a 6-4 win over Juliana Curtis and Alex Landert.
By securing five of the six singles matches on the day, the team proved their efforts in building confidence early. Johnson cruised past Elizabeth Means at No. 3, 6-0, 6-3, while Matias served up a 6-0, 6-4 triumph at No. 6. Eberhart led the Knights at No. 1 with a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Sarah Means.
Sophomore Cortney Cesarini continued the drubbing of the Eagles by defeating Breana Stampfli 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2. Adding a singles point to the Knights' resume was junior Clare Mendell, who delivered a 6-4, 6-2 win versus FGCU's Juliana Curtis. Sophomore Annika Hepp added an exhibition victory 6-2, 6-1.
After moving to 1-0 on the season, the Knights will return to the courts Sunday to face off against Troy at noon. Nickitas encourages her team to take each day at a time and to stay the course moving forward.
"We're taking it one match at a time. We'll have a light practice Saturday and come out again on Sunday ready to go, but we've set a good standard here," Nickitas explained. "Everybody knows the individual things they need to work on but it's just a good start to the season."
Tennis Match Results
UCF vs. FGCU
Jan. 23, 2015 at Orlando, Fla.
UCF 6, FGCU 1
Singles competition
1. Caroline Eberhart (UCF) def. Sarah Means (FGCU), 6-2, 6-3
2. Cortney Cesarini (UCF) def. Breana Stampfli (FGCU), 6-3, 2
3. Kennan Johnson (UCF) def. Elizabeth Means (FGCU), 6-0, 6-3
4. Johanna Sterkel (FGCU) def. Sofia Baptista (UCF), 6-3, 3-6, 10-7
5. Clare Mendell (UCF) def. Juliana Curtis (FGCU), 6-4, 6-2
6. Monica Matias (UCF) def. Candela Munoz Giron (FGCU), 6-0, 6-4
7. Annika Hepp (UCF) def. Lambat (FGCU), 6-2, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Sarah Means / Elizabeth Means (FGCU) def. Sofia Baptista / Cortney Cesarini (UCF), 6-1
2. Caroline Eberhart / Kennan Johnson (UCF) def. Johanna Sterkel / Breana Stampfli (FGCU), 6-0
3. Clare Mendell / Monica Matias (UCF) def. Juliana Curtis / Alex Landert (FGCU), 6-4
Match Notes
UCF: 1-0
FGCU: 0-2