#9 FSU vs. #15 UCF January 31, 2020, 5:00 P.M. | #18 Texas A&M vs. #15 UCF February 2, 2020, Noon |
ORLANDO, Fla. – A big weekend lies ahead for the No. 15 UCF women's tennis team as they'll host No. 9 FSU on Friday and No. 18 Texas A&M on Sunday.
The Knights picked up a win and a loss during ITA Kickoff Weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich. UCF won a tight 4-3 contest against Utah before being edged by then No. 15 Michigan 4-2 on their home courts. Marie Mattel was the star of the weekend, winning both her singles matches and clinching the match on the deciding court against the Utes.
History was made the last time the Knights faced FSU. UCF travelled to Tallahassee for the first and second rounds of the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Black and Gold rolled over Alabama in the first round, sweeping their way to the round of 32 to face the host and No. 11 nationally seeded Seminoles. The Knights mounted a huge comeback in doubles and rode the momentum from there, beating FSU 4-1. The win was the first time UCF had defeated FSU at any point and allowed the Knights to advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history.
The Seminoles are out to a 4-0 start this season, defeating Washington and Hawaii in a tournament on the Hawaiian Islands before beating UC Santa Barbara and No. 18 Texas A&M during ITA Kickoff Weekend.
This isn't the same FSU team that UCF faced last season as half the Seminoles' roster is made up of incoming freshmen while the other half is made up of returning upper classmen. They have just one ranked doubles tandem consisting of Emmanuelle Salas and Victoria Allen who sit at No. 14. However, the two haven't played together during the dual match season. Instead, Allen has gone 4-0 this season and is paired with Petra Hule at either the first or second doubles spot.
Texas A&M will come to Orlando with a record of 4-1, with their lone loss to FSU in their final match of ITA Kickoff Weekend. Their marquee win of the year to this point is over No. 23 Miami, beating the Hurricanes 4-2. The Aggies will play two more matches prior to their match against the Knights as they'll take on Stetson and Georgia Southern in a double header Friday morning.
Two singles players and two doubles tandems are in the rankings for Texas A&M as Tatiana Makarova and Dorthea Faa-Hviding are ranked No. 94 and No. 114 respectively in the singles rankings. The Aggies boast the nation's No. 20 doubles tandem of Lucia Quitero and Jessica Anzo as well as Jayci Goldsmith and Tatiana Makarova as the country's No. 47 pair.
UCF and Texas A&M have an interesting connection. Assistant coach Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar used to play tennis, soccer and basketball for the Aggies and now coaches for the Black and Gold. Sunday will be the first time that the two schools face each other on the tennis court.