ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The third-seeded No. 31 UCF men's tennis team knocked of its fifth top-30 program this season, No. 27 Tulane, who was the second-seed in the American Athletic Conference Championships at the USTA National Campus. The Knights posted a 4-0 sweep of the Green Wave.
"Our guys played really solid today," head coach John Roddick said. "Our doubles was much better all around. We need to keep that momentum going into the finals tomorrow."
The Knights (16-5) started strong grabbing the doubles point with a 6-2 victory at No. 2 and a 6-1 win at No. 3. On the top court, senior Mariano Porter and redshirt senior Harrison Richmond were up 4-3 when the point was clinched.
Barely an hour into singles, junior Korey Lovett pushed the Black and Gold to a 2-0 lead. The Brevard, N.C., native recorded eight aces, including one to seal his match, 6-4, 6-2.
"It's been our goal all year (to make it to the finals of the championship)," said Lovett. "We've been putting the work in, everyone wants to go out and compete hard and play at our highest level."
On the third court, Richmond traded games with Tulane's Tyler Schick tying it up at 3-3. Richmond, the Pawleys Island, S.C., native won the next six games to take the first set, and go up 3-0 in the second. Schick fought back to try to close the gap, but
Richmond finished him off by breaking serve to give the Knights a 3-0 advantage.
Senior Chris Barrus won his first set in demanding fashion, 6-2. The Naples, Fla., native held strong in the second set while opponent Chi-Shan Jao forced long rallies each game. Barrus took the match with four straight points.
"I think it starts with preparation, we all have been taking care of ourselves," Barrus said. "We came out with a winning mentality. We were going for it, being aggressive, taking risks, and executing our game plan."
The Knights take on archrival USF on Sunday at 12 p.m. Earlier this season, the Black and Gold defeated the Bulls, 4-2, during a War On I-4 match. UCF dropped the doubles point, but fought back to win four singles matches. The victory gave the Knights six points in the War On I-4 rivalry series. On Tuesday April 18, UCF women's golf team won the conference tournament and clinched the War On I-4 for the Black and Gold.
Results
Doubles (2,3)
1. Mariano Porter/Harrison Richmond (UCF) vs. Sebastian Rey/Chi-Shan Jao (Tulane), 4-3 unfinished
2. Danny Kerznerman/Korey Lovett (UCF) def. Ewan Moore/ Tyler Schick (Tulane), 6-2
3. Chris Barrus/Kalman Boyd (UCF) def. Luis Erlenbusch/Tim Ruetzel (Tulane), 6-1
Singles (1,3,5)
1. Korey Lovett (UCF) def. Sebastian Rey (Tulane), 6-4,6-2
2. Ewan Moore (Tulane) vs. Danny Kerznerman (UCF), 7-6(8), 2-3 unfinished
3. Harrison Richmond (UCF) def. Tyler Schick (Tulane), 6-3,6-4
4. Luis Erlenbusch (Tulane) vs. Mariano Porter (UCF), 7-5,3-5 unfinished
5. Chris Barrus (UCF) def. Chi-Shan Jao (Tulane) 6-2,6-4
6. Time Ruetzel (Tulane) vs. Kalman Boyd (UCF), 6-4,6-5 unfinished