ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Three members of the No. 30 UCF men’s tennis team were recognized for their performances by the American Athletic Conference on Thursday.
Gabriel Decamps was an all-conference selection in singles, while the tandem of Trey Hilderbrand and Bogdan Pavel earned the distinction for doubles.
Decamps enters the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 43 in the nation in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings and has competed against some of the best players in the nation this season. Of all the talented teams the Knights faced, Decamps saw the best of them at the top singles spot in the lineup. Decamps picked up 13 decisions at the No. 1 position, with one of those wins coming against the No. 9 player in the nation. He has only finished four of his last ten matches, going 2-2 during that span. Overal, he has a 6-7 record.
Pavel and Hilderbrand have been on a hot streak heading into postseason play. UCF’s top doubles duo is 15-3 this season and have strung together nine consecutive victories. Against ranked opposition, they have gone 8-1 with their only loss coming to the No. 4 pair in the nation. That was Pavel and Hilderbrand’s last loss, falling in a tight tiebreaker to De La Basse and Nemeth from Penn State 7-6 (7-5) back on March 8. The highest ranking that UCF’s top tandem defeated was the No. 19 pair from South Alabama. Pavel and Hilderbrand currently sit at No. 14 in the Oracle/ITA doubles rankings.
The Knights open NCAA Tournament action on Friday, facing No. 28 Florida State in first round action in Gainesville. UCF will participate in its second NCAA tournament in the last three seasons and the fifth overall in program history.