| #21 UCF at RV FSU March 19, 5:30 p.m. LIVE STATS | #21 UCF at #17 Georgia March 21, Noon LIVE STATS & VIDEO |
ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 21 UCF men's tennis team is set for one of its biggest weekends of the season as they'll visit FSU on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and No. 17 Georgia on Sunday at noon.
The Knights have won five straight matches, with four of those coming via a 7-0 sweep. The 7-2 start is the best record through nine matches in the John Roddick era and matches the 7-2 mark that the 2014 team achieved to begin the season. The Black and Gold are a perfect 3-0 on the road thus far.
Each starter in UCF's singles lineup has won at least four straight matches, with Mikhail Sokolovskiy leading the way with eight consecutive victories. Gabriel Decamps and Kento Yamada are just behind him with six wins in a row.
FSU is UCF's final in-state opponent that they haven't played yet this season. After this weekend, the Knights will have faced eight different Florida-based programs. The Black and Gold will face South Florida again this season as well as North Florida. UCF is 6-1 so far against these squads, with the lone loss coming to No. 11 Florida.
The Seminoles enter the weekend with a 5-9 record and received votes in the latest Oracle/ITA rankings. They have played four consecutive ranked teams on the road but have lost all four, getting beat by No. 4 Virginia, No. 39 Virginia Tech, No. 15 NC State and No. 11 Wake Forest. They have wins over North Florida, Mercer, South Alabama and a pair of victories over Tennessee Tech. Alex Knaff and Rana-Roop Singh Bhular are ranked in singles for the Seminoles, checking in at Nos. 77 and 108 respectively.
No. 17 Georgia sits at 8-4 as of Thursday evening and will play host to No. 13 Wake Forest on Friday prior to facing the Knights. The Bulldogs have faced five nationally ranked opponents, going 2-3 against them. They edged No. 14 NC State 4-3 in their third match of the season before beating No. 22 Ole Miss 5-2 in late February. There are Bulldogs scattered throughout the singles and doubles rankings as they have two tandems and three individuals tabbed as some of college tennis' best. In doubles, Trent Byrde and Tyler Zink sit at No. 8 in the nation while Blake Croyder and Philip Henning are just behind at No. 20. Three of those four players are ranked in singles with Bryde at No. 9, Henning at No. 18 and Zink checking in at No. 73.
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