ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Sophomore Ksenia Kuznetsova has been named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week. The nomination comes after she went 3-0 at the number two singles position and 1-0 at the top spot in doubles this week.
Kuznetsova started her week of perfection against Georgia State on Thursday with a flawless outing. She won 6-0, 6-0 on court two over Damira Muminovic. She was the first Knight to clinch a singles point as her and the team dominated Georgia State for a 7-0 victory.
Saturday saw No. 40 Denver come to town, where Kuznetsova faced the Pioneers’ No. 2 Anna Riedmiller who was undefeated at the beginning of the match. Kuznetsova sent her back to Denver with her first loss of the season as she triumphed over Riedmiller 7-6 (7-3), 6-4.
For College MatchDay, Kuznetsova faced her toughest opponent of the 2019 campaign as she matched up with Florida’s McCartney Kessler, who is ranked No. 33 in the nation. Kuznetsova won the first set with ease, downing Kessler 6-2. The second set came a little tougher, as Kessler forced Kuznetsova into her second tiebreaker in two days. The tiebreaker was tight, as it was tied at 1-1, 3-3, and 5-5 before Kuznetsova won it 7-5. This match was pivotal in No. 30 UCF’s victory over the No. 48 Gators, as it put the Black and Gold up 3-2 with two courts remaining.
Despite the Knights dropping the doubles point on College MatchDay, Kuznetsova paired with Valeriya Zeleva won 6-4 over Florida’s top duo. The tandem advances to an outstanding 8-0 record on the season. With Kuznetsova’s three singles wins this week, she now sits with a 6-2 record at the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
UP NEXT
After playing three matches in four days, the Knights will have a week without match action. Yale will come to town on March 3 at 11 a.m.
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