ORLANDO, Fla. – After posting a perfect 3-0 mark in last weekend's action, the UCF women's tennis team climbs two spots to No. 14 in the latest Oracle/ITA team rankings. A trio of Knights remain ranked in singles while two doubles tandems sit inside the top 30.
The Knights came into the weekend ranked No. 16 in the nation. They defeated TCU 4-1 on Friday before recording victories over UC Santa Barbara (4-1) and Nebraska (4-0) on Sunday. UCF began the season at No. 13 in the preseason poll before rising to No. 12 in the first poll of the regular season, which currently stands as the best in program history.
This week's rankings were the first computerized rankings, taking the team's best four wins into account. The computer gave UCF a mark of 34.773 rating points this week; this season's previous rankings have all been poll based up to this point.
Rebeka Stolmar and Marie Mattel continue to be of elite status in the doubles rankings, sitting at No. 7 this week. The pair achieved a program best ranking of No. 3 heading into the dual match season after putting on a show in the fall. The pair is 2-2 so far in 2020, going 1-1 against ranked opponents. The pair has been slotted at the No. 2 doubles spot this and sit with 40.58 rating points.
UCF's other ranked pair consists of Ksenia Kuznetsova and Valeriya Zeleva as they climb three spots to No. 29 with 16.769 ranking points. The pair is out to a 3-0 start at the No. 3 doubles position after not playing together in the beginning of the dual match season. Kuznetsova and Zeleva made the NCAA Doubles Championships last season and advanced in the tournament for the first time in program history. Kuznetsova has earned back to back trips to the NCAA Doubles Championship and looks to make it three in a row this season.
The Knights have three players ranked in singles as Stolmar leads the way, checking in at No. 41. After missing some time to start the season, Stolmar has recently returned to action. She has yet to earn a victory in the fall, but has been close, coming within one game of winning her match against Nebraska but was unable to finish before the match was clinched. The captain sits with a rating of 14.642 in the singles rankings.
Zeleva is the next ranked Knight as she sits at No. 64 in singles, one spot higher than last week. She is out to a fast start this season, posting a 5-1 singles record including a 2-0 mark at the top spot. Zeleva has won three consecutive matches, picking up a victory at No. 1 singles this weekend against Nebraska. She has compiled a mark of 9.914 rating points thus far.
Mattel rounds out the ranked players for the Black and Gold as she slots in as the nation's No. 70 singles player. She's begun her dual match campaign with a record of 5-3, including a 4-2 mark at the No. 3 spot in the lineup. Mattel's highest ranking of her career sits at No. 54 which she achieved at the end of the fall tournament season. She currently has a rating of 8.386 in the poll.
New Oracle/ITA team rankings debut on Feb. 25 while new singles and doubles rankings won't be unveiled until Mar. 3. Meanwhile, the USTA College Tennis Top 25 has the Knights pegged as the nation's No. 15 which is where the Black and Gold sat last week.
UP NEXT
The Knights are set for a ranked battle with an SEC opponent as UCF hosts No. 28 Ole Miss at 5 p.m. on Friday at the UCF Collegiate Tennis Center at the USTA National Campus. It will be the second time the Black and Gold have faced an SEC opponent this season, triumphing over No. 18 Texas A&M 5-2 back on Feb. 2.
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