DALLAS, Texas (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women's tennis team claimed its first road win of the year with a 6-1 decision against American Athletic Conference foe SMU on Friday night. The Knights (5-1, 1-0) turned to their stable of freshmen to quickly secure the match.
"First match on the road for us, and I thought we handled ourselves perfectly," head coach Bryan Koniecko said. "We prepared well for this match, and it showed today. Doubles was key for us to build a lead and take a little pressure off. We have seen improvement in a few of our players, so that's number one at this point."
The Black and Gold continued its dominance in doubles action to start the night. At the top of the lineup, Maria Martinez and Ksenia Kuznetsova rolled in their contest against Ana Perez-Lopez and Sarai Monarrez Yesaki, 6-1. The Mustangs (2-3, 0-2) rebounded with a 6-4 victory at No. 2 to even the score.
The undefeated UCF rookie duo of Silvia Bordes and Rebeka Stolmar put the Black and Gold ahead with a 6-3 thrashing of Karina Traxler and Nicole Petchey at No. 3 and the Knights perfect in doubles play this season.
The two freshman stayed in the groove as the match proceeded into singles play. Stolmar bested Petchey at No. 3 to win 6-2, 6-3. Bordes followed suit just minutes later with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Tiffany Hollebeck at No. 6 to give UCF a 3-0 advantage.
Kuznetsova clinched the match for the Black and Gold in the leadoff spot. After battling through a tiebreak in the opening frame, the Russian international swept the second set against Yesaki to win 7-5, 6-0.
With the match won, the Knights tacked on a pair of points at No. 2 and 4. Monica Matias climbed back from a second-set defeat to beat Traxler 6-2, 2-6, 6-4. Maria Martinez made it a perfect night for the UCF rookies with a straight-set win over Anzhelika Shapovalova, 6-3, 6-4.
The Mustangs garnered their lone point of the match at No. 5. Perez-Lopez rallied to top Natalia Serrano 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
The Knights will close out their first of two weekends this month in Texas with a matchup against Baylor on Sunday at 5 p.m.
UCF 6, SMU 1
Singles competition
1. Ksenia Kuznetsova (UCF-W) def. Sara Monarrez Yesaki (SMU) 7-5, 6-0
2. Maria Martinez (UCF-W) def. AnzhelikaShapovalova (SMU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Rebeka Stolmar (UCF-W) def. Nicole Petchey (SMU) 6-2, 6-3
4. Monica Matias (UCF-W) def. Karina Traxler (SMU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
5. Ana Perez-Lopez (SMU) def. Natalia Serrano (UCF-W) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
6. Silvia Bordes (UCF-W) def. Tiffany Hollebeck (SMU) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Maria Martinez/Ksenia Kuznetsova (UCF-W) def. Ana Perez-Lopez/Sara Monarrez Yesaki (SMU) 6-1
2. AnzhelikaShapovalova/Tiffany Hollebeck (SMU) def. Monica Matias/Natalia Serrano (UCF-W) 6-4
3. Silvia Bordes/Rebeka Stolmar (UCF-W) def. Karina Traxler/Nicole Petchey (SMU) 6-3
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