ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF men's tennis team had a total of four Knights finish the season in the Oracle/ITA singles and doubles rankings in their final edition that was released Wednesday afternoon.
Gabriel Decamps finished the year in the top 10 of the singles rankings, checking in at No. 7. Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi was the other member of the Black and Gold to make the top 125 in singles, sitting at No. 102. Three doubles tandems consisting of three different Knights finished 2021 ranked as the dynamic duo of Trey Hilderbrand and Bogdan Pavel claimed the No. 10 spot. Two pairs from the first half of the season remained in the rankings for the rest of the campaign as Hilderbrand and Decamps make up the country's No. 39 pair while Grassi Mazzuchi and Pavel combine to make the No. 89 duo.
Decamps put together the best individual performance in program history, climbing as high as No. 3 in the singles rankings and making his way to the NCAA Singles Championship Quarterfinals, something no Knight had done before. He went 17-4 exclusively at the top singles spot during the regular season, earning eight ranked wins in 11 tries. With the singles tournament added in, Decamps went 20-5 and earned a total of 14 victories over ranked opponents.
Grassi Mazzuchi posted an impressive 15-6 mark on the season, primarily seeing action at the No. 3 spot in the lineup, where he went 10-5. He also saw time at the Nos. 2 and 4 spots, recording an impressive 3-1 mark at the second position. Grassi Mazzuchi was named the conference tournament's Most Outstanding Player for his efforts in helping the Knight win their first conference title as part of The American.
UCF's season was a tale of two halves when it came to the top two pairs in doubles. Hilderbrand and Decamps began the season as the Knights' top tandem while Pavel and Grassi Mazzuchi teamed up as the No. 2 duo. Both pairs ended the season ranked, checking in at No. 39 and No. 89 respectively. Hilderbrand and Decamps finished the season 8-4 while Pavel and Grassi Mazzuchi wrapped up the year at 8-3.
During their trip to the middle of the country, the doubles lineup flipped back to the familiar. Hilderbrand and Pavel, a doubles team that had climbed as high as No. 3 in their time together, were reunited at the top spot. They clicked instantly tallying a 6-4 win over Oklahoma's No. 52 pair in their first match back as a pair. Once the change was made, the Knights only lost the doubles point one time the rest of the season. The two continued their hot streak and returned to the NCAA Doubles Championships where they put in a comeback effort to get their first tournament victory as a pair. Hilderbrand and Pavel went as high as No. 5 in the doubles rankings this season and posted a record of 11-3 when the season was all said and done. They won seven of their ten matches against ranked opposition.
The Oracle/ITA released their final team rankings on May 26 and had UCF tabbed as the nation's No. 11 squad.
FOLLOW THE KNIGHTS
Follow UCF Men's Tennis on social media on Facebook (/UCF.MTennis), Twitter (UCF_MTennis) and Instagram (UCF.MTennis).
GET THE APP
Never miss any UCF Knights news from your favorite team by downloading the free UCF Knights app right to your iOS or Android phone! The app provides personalized information for men's and women's teams, scores, schedules, loyalty programs and even breaking news. Click here to download the app now.
