ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - For the second straight match, UCF found themselves on the brink of victory with one match remaining. The Knights (4-5, 0-0) came close, but dropped a 4-3 decision to Penn State Wednesday at the USTA National Campus.
"Penn State is a good team, give them credit," said UCF Director of Tennis John Roddick. "We need to do a better job at sealing the deal and finishing matches."
Penn State (7-5, 0-1) opened up the match with a pair of doubles wins to clinch the opening point.
Chris Antonopoulos and Alp Sentay defeated Alan Rubio and Mikhail Sokolovskiy 6-1 at No. 3 and Gabriel Nemeth and Matt Galush took down Danny Kerznerman and Gabriel DeCamps, 6-3 for the Nittany Lions.
Singles action saw the Knights flip the switch. The Black and Gold won three matches on the night, and found themselves down to the wire once again.
At No. 1, Korey Lovett cruised over No. 94 Constant Bassetiere, 6-4, 6-3 to tie the match up at one.
After Matt Galush beat Danny Kerznerman 6-2, 6-4 at No. 6, Eero Vasa was able to tie the match up once again with a 6-2, 7-5 win over Sentay at No. 5
The two teams continued to trade blows, as Christian Lakoseljac took down DeCamps, 6-4, 6-4 at No. 2, before Sokolovskiy fired back with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Chris Antonopoulos at No. 3 to tie the match up at three apiece.
It all came down to court four, where Alan Rubio battled till the end in a tiebreaker, but ultimately Nemeth prevailed with a 6-4, 7-6 win to give Penn State the win.
UP NEXT
The Knights will take on Virginia at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, March 11 at the USTA National Campus.
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Penn State 4, UCF 3
Singles competition
1. Korey Lovett (UCF-M) def. #94 Constant Bassetiere (PSU) 6-4, 6-3
2. Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Gabriel DeCamps (UCF-M) 6-4, 6-4
3. Mikhail Sokolovskiy (UCF-M) def. Chris Antonopoulos (PSU) 6-3, 7-6 (0-4)
4. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) def. #124 Alan Rubio (UCF-M) 6-4, 7-6 (0-4)
5. Eero Vasa (UCF-M) def. Alp Sentay (PSU) 6-2, 7-5
6. Matt Galush (PSU) def. Danny Kerznerman (UCF-M) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. #11 Korey Lovett/Eero Vasa (UCF-M) vs. Constant Bassetiere/Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) unfinished
2. Chris Antonopoulos/Alp Sentay (PSU) def. Alan Rubio/Mikhail Sokolovskiy (UCF-M) 6-1
3. Gabriel Nemeth/Matt Galush (PSU) def. Danny Kerznerman/Gabriel DeCamps (UCF-M) 6-3