ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – After reaching the Sweet 16 in last season's NCAA Tournament, the UCF women's tennis team sits at No. 13 in the preseason release of the 2020 Oracle/ITA team rankings. The ranking stands alone as the best in program history, topping the previous record of 18th in the country midway through the 2019 dual match season.
Since last season's historic run, the Knights have only improved their roster. After losing lone senior Natalia Serrano, the Black and Gold added Pepperdine transfer Evgeniya Levashova and recruited talented freshman Nadja Bay Christians. Levashova was a top-25 singles player in her time with Pepperdine and was part of the number one doubles pair in the nation at one point during her sophomore season. Bay Christians looks to make an immediate impact in the lineup after climbing as high as No. 29 in her home country of Spain during her pre-collegiate career.
On top of the solid additions, UCF will return five of six starters. The order could shift a bit when the new additions are factored in, creating a solid singles lineup and adding depth to what was a lethal doubles lineup in 2019.
The Knights will have a few ranked individuals and doubles tandems heading into the 2020 dual match season. Rebeka Stolmar and Marie Mattel team up to make the No. 3 doubles team in the nation. Valeriya Zeleva and Ksenia Kuznetsova sit just behind them at No. 11 in the doubles rankings.
In singles play, Stolmar checks in at No. 34 after a solid fall season, the highest ranking of her career. Zeleva, only a few spots behind Stolmar, is pegged as the No. 40 singles player in the country. Since coming to UCF, Zeleva has not dropped outside the top 50 in the singles rankings. Mattel jumps back into the singles rankings at No. 54 after not being ranked to begin the fall season. This is the first time Mattel has been ranked since Feb. 20 when she was ranked No. 119 after a perfect 8-0 start in her singles career. New singles and doubles rankings will be released on Feb. 5.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Women's Tennis on social media on Facebook (/UCF.WTennis), Twitter (UCF_WTennis) and Instagram (UCFWTennis).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news. Click here to download the app now.
