ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The No. 31 UCF men's tennis team's run in the American Athletic Conference Championship came to a close Sunday, falling to top seed No. 24 USF 4-1 in the title match at the USTA National Campus.
"Hats off to South Florida," head coach John Roddick said. "They played really well in singles today, really deserved that win."
The Knights (16-6) advanced to their first ever American Athletic Conference Championship match after defeating Tulsa 4-2 in the quarterfinals and topping Tulane 4-0 in Saturday's semifinals.
On Sunday, with a chance to win its first conference title since earning three straight Atlantic Sun Conference Championships from 2003 to 2005, UCF got off to a great start by clinching the doubles point.
Trailing 3-1, Korey Lovett and Danny Kerznerman battled back to win five straight games and earn a win for the Knights on court two.
USF's No. 51 ranked duo of Albert Barros-Campos and Sasha Gozun jumped out to a 2-0 lead on court one, but the Knights again fought back. Harrison Richmond and Mariano Porter won four straight games to take a 4-2 advantage.
After the Bulls tied it up at 4-4, Richmond and Porter won four straight points to take the lead again, and then finished off USF when Gozun hit a backhand out of bounds.
"We came out a lot more aggressive today," Roddick said of the early doubles play. "I think having seen them once really helped our guys. As coaches, we knew that they were very well coached in doubles and they would really come after us, but until you experience it, and you get caught on your heels, then you know you can't let it happen. I think that's what the difference was for us today. We were a lot more prepared for their aggressiveness."
The Bulls (17-8) turned the tides on the Knights in singles play. Gozun, No. 61 in the nation, defeated Lovett in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, on court one to tie the match, before Vadym Kalyuzhnyy topped Chris Barrus 6-4, 6-2 on court five to give USF its first lead of the day.
Kalman Boyd, after falling in set one to Jakub Wojcik, 6-1, fought to the very end and forced a tiebreaker in set two on court six. Boyd came back from down 5-2 to tie it up at 5-5, and then again at 6-6 to force the breaker. Wojcik eventually came out on top 6-1, 7-6 (7) to give USF a 3-1 lead.
USF's Justin Roberts clinched it for the Bulls, defeating Kerznerman on court two, 6-4, 6-4. Richmond and Porter split sets with their opponents on courts three and four, respectively, before the match was clinched.
"I couldn't be prouder of how far our team has come this year," said Roddick. "They are battlers and we are looking forward to seeing where we go for the NCAA tournament."
The Knights will await their postseason fate when the NCAA Tournament field is announced in the coming weeks. UCF last appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2005.
Results (Order of Finish)
Doubles (2, 3, 1)
1. Mariano Porter/Harrison Richmond (UCF) def. Alberto Barroso-Campos/Sasha Gozun (USF), 6-4
2. Korey Lovett/Danny Kerznerman (UCF) def. Peter Bertran/Justin Roberts (USF), 6-4
3. Vadym Kalyuzhnyy/Jakub Wojcik (USF) def. Chris Barrus/Kalman Boyd (UCF), 6-4
Singles (1, 5, 6, 2)
1. Sasha Gozun (USF) def. Korey Lovett (UCF) 6-4, 6-3
2. Justin Roberts (USF) def. Danny Kerznerman (UCF), 6-4, 6-4
3. Alberto Barroso-Campos (USF) vs. Harrison Richmond (UCF), 6-3, 2-6, unfinished
4. Peter Bertran (USF) vs. Mariano Porter (UCF), 4-6, 6-4, unfinished
5. Vadym Kalyuzhnyy (USF) def. Chris Barrus (UCF), 6-4, 6-2
6. Jakub Wojcik (USF) def. Kalman Boyd (UCF), 6-1, 7-6(7)
