ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The No. 25 UCF women's tennis team kept its winning streak intact Thursday night at the USTA National Campus, as the Knights defeated Yale 5-2 for their seventh straight win.
"Yale did a good job to extend some matches and make us work for it," said UCF head coach Bryan Koniecko. "I think it's a good learning opportunity. To learn and get to win, it doesn't always happen, so we're lucky and fortunate to win as a team."
Coming off a gritty 4-3 win over Clemson Wednesday, UCF (13-2, 3-0) set the tempo versus the Bulldogs (5-10, 0-0) with strong doubles play that parlayed into equally impressive singles action.
The Knights earned wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles to clinch the opening match point.
Rebeka Stolmar and Silvia Bordes easily took down Valerie Shklover and Lauren Gillinov at No. 2 with a clean 6-0 win. Monica Matias and Natalia Serrano would then
clinch the point at No. 3 with a 6-1 victory over Caroline Amos and Amy Yang.
Singles play opened with Maria Martinez winning in straight sets. The Spaniard put the Knights up 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Valerie Shklover.
Yale would get on the board at No. 1, when Samantha Martinelli got past Ksenia Kuznetsova, 6-4, 6-1.
UCF would go up 3-1 after a win at No. 6. Senior captain Emilia Granstrom defeated Sunday Swett, 6-4, 6-1 to put the Black and Gold on the brink of victory.
The clincher came at No. 3, when Oracle/ITA Division I No. 122 ranked singles player Stolmar took down Yang, 6-2, 6-1.
Two more matches were played to conclusion. Yale earned its second point of the night at No. 4 with a 6-0, 7-6 (9-7) win by Elizabeth Zordani over Bordes.
The final match was taken by UCF at No. 5. Serrano defeated Amos, 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 10-6.
UP NEXT
The Knights will next face Brown, March 27 at the USTA National Campus with a 1 p.m. match time.
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#25 UCF 5, Yale 2
Singles Competition
1. Samantha Martinelli (YALE) def. Ksenia Kuznetsova (UCF-W) 6-4, 6-1
2. Maria Martinez (UCF-W) def. Valerie Shklover (YALE) 6-1, 6-4
3. #122 Rebeka Stolmar (UCF-W) def. Amy Yang (YALE) 6-2, 6-1
4. Elizabeth Zordani (YALE) def. Silvia Bordes (UCF-W) 6-0, 7-6 (9-7)
5. Natalia Serrano (UCF-W) def. Caroline Amos (YALE) 6-3, 6-7 (7-9), 10-6
6. Emilia Granstrom (UCF-W) def. Sunday Swett (YALE) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles Competition
1. Ksenia Kuznetsova/Maria Martinez (UCF-W) vs. Samantha Martinelli/Elizabeth Zordani (YALE) unfinished
2. Rebeka Stolmar/Silvia Bordes (UCF-W) def. Valerie Shklover/Lauren Gillinov (YALE) 6-0
3. Monica Matias/Natalia Serrano (UCF-W) def. Caroline Amos/Amy Yang (YALE) 6-1
Match Notes:
Yale 5-10
UCF 13-2; National ranking #25
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (2,1,6,3,4,5)