ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 18 UCF women's tennis team is set for their 2021 campaign as they'll visit Raleigh, N.C. this weekend as part of ITA Kickoff Weekend. From the time they last took the court in a 4-3 road victory over Baylor to the time they take the court this Sunday, 320 days will have passed.
A QUICK LOOK BACK
The Knights finished the shortened season with a record of 10-3, picking up a few ranked victories along the way. The Black and Gold defeated No. 18 Texas A&M, No. 22 Baylor and No. 29 Old Dominion and had even more ranked teams on the schedule prior to the sport shutting down. UCF ended the season with four singles players and three doubles teams ranked, a program best. They'll start the 2021 season with the same four singles players ranked, this time with all of them in the top 100.
SEASON OUTLOOK
Two headlines dominated the offseason for the Knights, the first being the return of Rebeka Stolmar. After her initial senior season was cut short in 2020, she decided to opt into the extra year the NCAA offered her. The other headline involved Stolmar as well, as she and Marie Mattel were named as the program's first All-Americans. The two were an outstanding doubles tandem throughout the fall and the abbreviated spring.
All six starters in singles return for the 2021 season. UCF has gained some young, talented depth, adding three freshmen bringing their roster size to 11. With Stolmar, Mattel, Valeriya Zeleva and Evgeniya Levashova all ranked, the Knights are in prime position to go toe-to-to with anyone in the country.
UCF will face eight teams from the state of Florida in 2021. Their schedule includes some competitive Power 6 matchups as the Knights will face four Big 12 teams, at least three ACC squads, two SEC schools and potentially a Big 10 team. The Black and Gold will face 12 teams that were ranked in the top-50 of the Oracle/ITA team poll at the time of the 2020 season shutting down.
The 2021 dual match season means that head coach Bryan Koniecko is set to embark on his fifth season at the helm of the squad. He and the team have posted an impressive 67-21 mark since his arrival and have reached two NCAA Tournaments and earned a conference title. UCF was on pace to add another of each had the 2020 season continued.
ITA KICKOFF WEEKEND
The Black and Gold will head to Raleigh, N.C. for ITA Kickoff Weekend, where they'll be greeted by the No. 16 Demon Deacons. UCF will square off with Wake Forest on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. Depending on the result of Sunday's matches, the Knights will match up with either Northwestern or No. 8 NC State, the host of the weekend.
| #18 UCF vs. #16 Wake Forest January 24, 11 a.m. WATCH | LIVE STATS |
#18 UCF vs. #8 NC State OR Northwestern January 25, 11 a.m. OR 2 p.m. WATCH | LIVE STATS |
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