ORLANDO, Fla. – After going a combined 4-0 across singles and doubles this past week, Valeriya Zeleva has been named the American Athletic Conference's Player of the Week.
Zeleva's outstanding week began last Tuesday as the Knights visited then No. 21 Florida. Zeleva and partner Ksenia Kuznetsova have been unstoppable to this point in the season, coming into the week with a 4-0 mark. The No. 60 tandem made it look easy on court two against the Gators, winning 6-2 as the first match done in the doubles segment. UCF went on to win the doubles point and take the early 1-0 advantage. No. 67 Zeleva kept the momentum going in singles and was responsible for the match's next point as well, earning a 6-4, 6-2 win over Marlee Zein on court two. The Knights went on to beat the Gators 4-1 to earn the season sweep of Florida.
Saturday was a big day for Zeleva as well as the Black and Gold hosted Miami, a team that received votes in the latest team poll. Her and Kuznetsova won a tight 6-4 match on court two to seal the doubles point for UCF. The victory advanced the pair to a clean 6-0 record in doubles. Zeleva earned her second win over a ranked opponent this season with a 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) victory on court two over No. 87 Daevenia Achong to clinch the match and lock up the 4-0 sweep of the Hurricanes. Zeleva has won four straight matches and sits with a 3-0 record at the No. 2 singles spot.
Zeleva is the second Knight to earn a conference player of the week honor this season. Jaleesa Leslie earned the nod earlier in the year after a statement win at the No. 6 singles position at home against Florida. Zeleva has received the nod of being The American's Player of the Week twice before, both occasions coming in her first collegiate season in 2019.
UP NEXT
The Knights will head to the state of Texas for a pair of matches against Big 12 opponents. UCF will face TCU on Friday at 1 p.m. before squaring off against No. 2 Texas on Sunday, also at 1 p.m.
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