April 18, 2016
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - After posting a 12-6 overall and 3-2 conference mark, UCF earned the No. 4 overall seed in The American Championship that starts on Wednesday in Memphis, Tenn. The Knights begin play in the four-day event at the Dunavant-Wellford Tennis Center on Thursday at 1 p.m. Eastern against No. 5 Houston.
Live scoring is available for each match of the tournament. The championship match is set to be streamed live on The American Digital Network.
Related: The American Championship
The No. 3 seed for UCF is the highest for the program since receiving the top seed in the 2005 A-Sun Championship. The Knights posted league wins over UConn, SMU and Tulane and ended the regular season on a 9-3 run.
A 65-28 overall singles mark has been posted by the Knights with freshman Natalia Serrano (14), junior Cortney Cesarini (12) and sophomore Monica Matias (10) each registering double-digit wins. The Knights have tallied a 28-7 record at the No. 5 and No. 6 slots throughout the year.
Seniors Sofia Baptista and Caroline Eberhart have been solid for the Knights in the first two positions with each posting 8-5 marks during dual-match play. Eberhart has recorded a trio of three-set triumphs with two of them securing a match for the Knights.
UCF won its final seven doubles points during the spring and recorded a 30-17 overall mark. The No. 3 tandem of Cesarini/Matias has generated a 9-2 mark, while senior Carolina Eberhart and Granstrom are 7-3 at No. 2.
Houston is 5-18 on the campaign with victories against Prairie View A&M, Southern, UConn, New Mexico and William & Mary. The Cougars went 1-4 against teams from The American, which included defeats vs. SMU, Tulsa, East Carolina and Tulane. A team-best 11-10 singles mark has been posted by Despoina Vogasari at No. 1. Vogasari and partner Rocia Martin are 10-5 at No. 1 doubles.
The winner of the match between UCF and Houston moves on to the semifinals against No. 1 Tulsa/No. 8 UConn/No. 9 Tulane. That semifinal match is set to being on Friday at 4 p.m. Eastern.