ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF women's tennis team will return its captain and All-American Rebeka Stolmar for the 2020-21 campaign after she received an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA.
"I am very grateful that I am able to officially announce that I will be returning as a student-athlete at UCF for another year!" said Stolmar. "I am beyond thankful to the NCAA and UCF for this opportunity and I can't wait to start competing again."
Stolmar and the Knights opted to take advantage of the extra year of eligibility awarded by the NCAA after all spring seasons across the country were abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We are obviously excited to have Rebeka back for another year," said head coach Bryan Koniecko. "Rebeka has been in every big match situation that you can think of so that experience is invaluable. No one deserves to have their senior year end like that and especially for someone like Rebeka who has had a tremendous impact on our program. She knows the opportunity that has been given to her and I am sure she will look to capitalize on that."
UCF had won four straight matches leading up to the season's abrupt end. The Knights finished with a 10-3 record with their final win coming over No. 22 Baylor in a thrilling 4-3 decision that came down to the final court. The Black and Gold climbed as high as No. 12 in the Oracle/ITA team rankings and were looking to top last year's run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament with an even deeper team in 2020.
Stolmar will look to lead the Knights into a strong 2020-21 season in which they return the core of their lineup. The 2019-20 season was an incredible one for Stolmar as she became the first All-American in program history alongside Marie Mattel. Stolmar climbed as high as No. 32 in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings and rose all the way to No. 3 in the doubles rankings with partner Mattel, a program best. Stolmar sits behind Valeriya Zeleva (career high ranking of No. 27) for the highest ranked singles player in UCF history.
"Rebeka has been with me from the start, so she understands the coach's expectations on how to handle the day to day," said Koniecko. "We will have a few upper classmen on this team now with Rebeka being the oldest so we will need great leadership from them if we want to reach all our goals. I am excited to see her make the most of this situation."
Stolmar has collected 109 total career victories over her three seasons with the Knights. She has posted a remarkable 54-16 record in doubles, placing her third all-time in doubles victories at UCF. Stolmar has compiled 55 total singles victories, leaving her just 14 away from taking sole possession of eighth place on the team's career singles wins list.
"I am sure that there will be ups and downs in the upcoming season," said Stolmar. "But I know that this team can overcome any obstacle that we face. I am extremely happy that I can be a part of this hard-working group for one last season. I believe that we can achieve big things with hard work and determination."
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