Jan. 31, 2016
Final Stats
UCF at FAU Stats (PDF) | Final Stats
BOCA RATON, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - Two straight doubles victories gave the UCF men's tennis team the first point of the match, but the Knights were unable to hold on to the momentum in a 5-2 loss to Florida Atlantic at the Patch Reef Park on Sunday afternoon.
"It was good to win a dramatic doubles point," head coach Bobby Cashman said. "We had good momentum, but then we gave it up by losing four first sets in singles. We have to give credit to FAU. We are excited to return home to continue our process of improving."
FAU posted the first victory of the day with a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles, but juniors Inaki Espindola and Chris Barrus evened things up with a 6-4 win at No. 1 doubles. Senior Jose Sangroniz and sophomore Tyler Pate broke the tie and clinched the doubles point with a 7-6(2) win at No. 2 doubles.
"We went out in doubles feeling confident and were playing (FAU) close," Pate said. "We relaxed on my service game and found ourselves down, but we never gave up. We were able to pull off the clinch in the tiebreaker."
The Knights looked to carry the momentum over into singles action, but the Owls shifted the advantage back to the home team with wins at No. 3 and No. 4 to take a 2-1 lead. Victories on courts two and six clinched the home win for FAU.
Sangroniz added a second point for the Knights at No. 1 singles. He handled Alexander Gitin, 6-4, in the opening set before falling 5-7 in the second set. Sangroniz earned his first singles win of the season with a 10-8 win in the third set.
"We fought hard, but we still have to improve in some aspects of our game," Sangroniz said. "The energy was there; we just have to believe in our game in the bigger moments."
UCF (0-3) returns home for its next five matches. The Knights return to action on Feb. 7, hosting Lafayette at 10:30 a.m. at the UCF Tennis Complex.
Florida Atlantic 5, UCF 2
Singles competition
1. Jose Sangroniz (UCF) def. Alexander Gitin (FAU) 6-4, 5-7, 10-8
2. Remi Chancerel (FAU) def. Inaki Espindola (UCF) 1-6, 6-0, 6-4
3. Jaoa Gauer (FAU) def. Chris Barrus (UCF) 6-4, 6-4
4. Zandrix Acob (FAU) def. Mariano Porter (UCF) 6-2, 6-3
5. Anthony Schohn (FAU) def. Nico De Fraia (UCF) 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
6. Ignacio Jimenez (FAU) def. Reece Acree (UCF) 6-4, 7-5
Doubles competition
1. Chris Barrus/Inaki Espindola (UCF) def. Alexander Gitin/Anthony Schohn (FAU) 6-4
2. Tyler Pate/Jose Sangroniz (UCF) def. Jaoa Gauer/Zandrix Acob (FAU) 7-6 (2)
3. Remi Chancerel/Stefan Burnett (FAU) def. Nico De Fraia/Mariano Porter (UCF) 6-1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,4,2,6,1,5)
Story by Megan Herboth; Photos by Brad Helton