ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF women's tennis team hauled in the hardware as the American Athletic Conference announced its postseason honors on Wednesday.
Bryan Koniecko was named Coach of the Year. Rebeka Stolmar was tabbed as the league's Freshman of the Year and was joined by Maria Martinez on the All-Conference team.
In just his second year leading the Knights, Koniecko was named The American Coach of the Year after helping UCF earn the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. UCF rose as high as No. 19 during the season – its highest rank in program history – and had seven wins against teams in the ITA top 50. Koniecko led the Knights to a record-setting regular season, earning the program's first-ever at-large bid to the NCAA Championship. UCF returns to the postseason for the first time since 2002, and enters the tournament ranked 22nd in the nation.
UCF defeated seven teams that were selected to the 2018 NCAA Team Championship and saw an increase from 13 wins last season to 19 wins and counting this year.
Stolmar, a two-time Player of the Week honoree, posted a 19-2 record during her first season as a Knight. The Budapest, Hungary, native played all but one match at the No. 3 position. She also earned a straight-set victory over the No. 51 singles player Chiara Lommer of Michigan.
Playing alongside fellow freshman Silvia Bordes, the rookies posted a 14-5 record together in doubles action, playing primarily at the No. 2 position.
Martinez excelled in her first year at UCF, playing at both No. 1 and No. 2 positions throughout the season. She posted a 10-6 record in singles play and, along with Ksenia Kuznetsova, led the Knights with 15-3 record in doubles action.
The Benidorm, Spain, native was also named The American Player of the Week on Feb. 13 after helping the Knights secure road wins at SMU and Baylor. Martinez also earned a ranked victory over No. 117 Martina Okalova of Tulsa.
UCF will face FIU in the opening round of the NCAA Championships on May 11 in Coral Gables, Fla. At the conclusion of the team competition, Martinez and Kuznetsova will compete in the NCAA Doubles Championships at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex in Winston-Salem, N.C.
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