ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After dropping the doubles point and an early singles point the UCF men's tennis team fought back to defeat Penn State, 4-2, in front of 572 fans at College MatchDay at the USTA National Campus.
"I think we just started battling," said head coach John Roddick. "We had some guys make some good adjustments and commit to it. We were just competing really hard. We were down a break in some of those second sets. We talk about always keeping it tough. We did a good job and got our teeth back in and started believing. It took a while, but I'm proud of that effort to just hang in there and not give up after losing five first sets and the doubles (point).
The Knights entered a tight doubles battle, on the top two courts. The teams went back and forth before PSU broke serve and clinched the point on the top court, 6-4.
In singles, No. 44 Korey Lovett put the Black and Gold on the board with a 6-3, 6-4 victory on the top court. The Knights came back and won four second sets to even the playing field. Redshirt senior Harrison Richmond tied up the score at 2-2 with a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory on the second court.
Junior Danny Kerznerman put UCF up 3-2 after dropping the first set 6-3. He won the second set, 6-4, and sealed his match with a 6-3 third-set victory.
In the third set, courts five and six were going toe-to-toe with their opponents. Sophomore Kalman Boyd had fallen 6-3 in the first set, but came back and won the second in a tiebreaker 7-6 (7-3) to force the third. Tied at 4-4, Boyd held serve to jump ahead 5-4. The Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., won four strong points to clinch the match for the Knights.
The Knights host No. 48 Tulsa on Friday at 6 p.m., and No. 29 South Alabama on Sunday at 1 p.m., at the USTA National Campus.
Thoughts On:
Head Coach John Roddick on the atmosphere: "It was a great atmosphere here. Our guys aren't used to playing in front of this (572 fans) and I think it took us a little while to settle in."
Redshirt Senior Harrison Richmond on the match: "It was a great team win today. I think we handled adversity well, even though we didn't play our best tennis at times, but this is what college tennis is all about. We hung in there, found a way to win and that's what matters most. We'll take this win and keep moving, it's great for our confidence."
Junior Danny Kerznerman on the match: " It was really good to get a comeback win today. We stayed together and pushed through. The crowd really helped a lot. The atmosphere was great. We just want to thank everyone who came out."
Final Results (Order of Finish)
SCORE
Doubles (3,1)
1). Constant De La Bassetiere / Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Mariano Porter / Harrison Richmond (UCF) 6-4
2). Korey Lovett / Danny Kerznerman (UCF) vs. Henry Gordon / Nika Dolidze (PSU) 5-4 (unfinished)
3). David Kohan / Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Enrique Paya / Chris Barrus (UCF) 6-1
Singles (3, 1, 2, 4, 6)
1). Korey Lovett (UCF) def. Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) 6-3, 6-4
2). Harrison Richmond (UCF) def. Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) 5-7, 6-4, 6-2
3). Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Chris Barrus (UCF) 6-2, 6-1
4). Danny Kerznerman (UCF) def. Aws Laaribi (PSU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
5). Mariano Porter (UCF) vs. Marc Collado (PSU) 2-6, 6-4, 5-5 (unfinished)
6). Kalman Boyd (UCF) def. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) 3-6, 7-6, 6-4