ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com)--The UCF women's tennis team earned an opening day victory over Flagler, 5-2, on Wednesday afternoon at the UCF Tennis Complex.
"We knew Flagler was going to be a tough one considering we were down a point and half from the start," said head coach Bryan Koniecko. "The girls handled the pressure well, not only being the first match of the season but also being down. I can't be more proud of them for getting through today and we've got another one on Friday."
The Knights took the doubles point with victories on court 1 and court 2. Senior Cortney Cesarini and junior Monica Matias defeated Lizanne Jinkertz and Mary Jo Nanti, 7-5, on the top court. At the second doubles spot, junior Emilia Granstrom and sophomore Natalia Serrano took a 6-2 victory over Kelly Burge and Patrycia Maslanka.
In singles, the Knights were down an automatic point after defaulting from the No. 6 position. Granstrom posted a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Maslanka at the fifth spot and Matias followed it up with a quick 6-3, 6-4 victory over Nanti at the second position.
Cesarini secured the victory for the Knights as she defeated Burge, 6-4, 6-3. At the top spot, Serrano took the first set, 6-4, from Jinkertz before dropping the second, 6-3. She rallied and won the match with a 10-5 third-set tiebreaker.
The Knights return to the UCF Tennis Complex for a match against Florida Tech on Friday, Jan. 13 at 3 p.m.
Results
Doubles:
1). Cesarini/Matias (UCF) d. Jinkertz/Nanti (Flagler), 7-5
2). Serrano/Granstrom (UCF) d. Burge/Maslanka (Flagler), 6-2
3). Flagler d. UCF- def.
Singles:
1). Serrano (UCF) d. Jinkertz 6-4, 3-6, 10-5
2). Matias (UCF) d. Nanti 6-3, 6-4
3). Cesarini (UCF) d. Burge 6-4, 6-3
4). Granstrom (UCF) d. Maslanka 6-2, 6-2
5). Felicitas Runkel d. Nicole Jimenez (UCF) 6-1, 6-0