TULSA, Okla. (UCFKnights.com) – The Knights concluded their time at the ITA All-American Championships and found lots of success on the way. Rebeka Stolmar finished as the main consolation bracket champion while Valeriya Zeleva, Ksenia Kuznetsova, Marie Mattel and Stolmar punched their ticket to the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in early November for their efforts in doubles.
Semifinals – Saturday
The Knights had a heavy presence in the semifinals on Saturday as both their doubles tandems found their way into the Final Four.
UCF's top duo of No. 7 Kuznetsova/Zeleva took on Tennessee's No. 24 Tenika McGriffin and Kaitlin Staines in their semifinal matchup. The Knight pair would fall by a count of 6-2, 6-3.
No. 31 Stolmar and Mattel faced Yale's No. 29 Jessie Gong and Samantha Martinelli in their Final Four match. The UCF duo competed in a tight match but wound up falling to the Yale tandem by a count of 6-4, 2-6, 10-6. It was an incredible run for the Knight pair, making their way through qualifiers and topping some quality opponents on their way to the main draw semifinals. Gong/Martinelli would go on to win the championship match.
By reaching the semifinals, both UCF pairs will receive an invite to the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in Newport Beach, Calif. The highly competitive tournament will take place from Nov. 6-10.
No. 29 Zeleva and No. 98 Stolmar were competing in the semifinals of the main consolation bracket on Saturday. Stolmar drew Florida's No. 23 McCartney Kessler and went toe to toe with her from the start. Both sets were close, but Stolmar was able to prevail in straight sets, winning 7-6(3), 6-4 to advance to the consolation final. Kessler was Florida's No. 2 singles player when the Knights played them in the spring of 2019.
Zeleva was unable to advance to the final, falling to Furman's No. 46 Katarina Kozarov 7-5, 6-1.
Finals – Sunday
The final was set as No. 98 Stolmar was matched up against No. 46 Kozarov. Kozarov took a large lead early, going up 5-2. Unphased, Stolmar was able to win five straight games before Kozarov could win one as the Knight senior won the first frame. Stolmar rode that momentum to the finish line, winning the consolation finale 7-5, 6-3. She was crowned as the main draw consolation champion.
UP NEXT
The Knights will be back in action at the ITA Regional Championships in Tallahassee, Fla. from Oct. 18-21.
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