ORLANDO – Phase one of the Knights’ new era in the Big 12 will culminate Thursday night as the UCF men’s tennis team welcomes Southern Miss to conclude non-conference play. Preceding the first serve at 5 p.m., the Black and Gold have fired on all cylinders since an opening-day doubleheader sweep in South Carolina to build a strong resume with triumphs over multiple ranked programs.
The Knights (13-1) will strive to attain yet another piece of history under first-year head coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess against the Golden Eagles (5-3). Dating back to the program’s inaugural season in 1972, only the 1980 squad has been 13-1 through 14 matches, as UCF is on the cusp of the best 15-match stretch to open a season in over a half-century of play.
A pillar of UCF’s success has been its performances at the USTA National Campus, accumulating eight wins from eight in 2024. The Knights have outscored opponents 38-7 in front of the home faithful and continue to make Orlando a hunting ground.
UCF returns home following a successful two-match road swing against former AAC opposition. A dominating 4-1 triumph at Wichita State was followed by quite the opposite road to victory at Tulsa. An early 2-0 deficit was quickly wiped away before the Golden Hurricane eventually leveled at three-all. Liam Branger would eventually secure the win for the Knights on court four, a similar sight since the Frenchman arrived in Orlando a season ago.
The clinching point from none other than… LIAM. BRANGER. 😤 pic.twitter.com/DUYeTdPp3f
— UCF Men's Tennis (@UCF_MTennis) March 10, 2024
Knights Notables
- The Knights have won four matches in a week twice this season following wins over Penn, South Alabama, Wichita State and Tulsa from March 4-10 to mirror UCF’s first four wins of the season against UNC Wilmington, Coastal Carolina, North Florida and Georgia Southern from Jan. 15-21. UCF is the only Big 12 team to have achieved the feat.
- Yassine Dlimi is amidst an 11-match unbeaten streak, the longest of his career, along with an eight-match winning streak that has tied his 2023 best. Dlimi had dropped just two sets in the span dating back to Georgia Southern on Jan. 21 and holds an 8-1 record through 14 contests thus far.
- Much of the Knights’ strength in singles has come from the back three courts. Five players have featured on courts four through six and have combined for an impressive 30-6 record.
- Mehdi Benchakroun and Liam Branger have each been unbeaten in their last five matches, with the former riding a six-match streak. The tandem has combined for seven wins in that stretch.
- The Knights are 4-2 in their last six doubles bouts and much of the recent success has come from court two. Branger and Lleyton Cronje won four straight before Francisco Llanes and Emilio Sanchez slotted and secured a win of their own against Wichita State.
The Opponent
Southern Miss enters tomorrow night’s contest on the back of a dramatic 4-3 victory over Tennessee State at home. The Golden Eagles have played a mild eight matches thus far and have split two contests against common opponents.
A 6-1 defeat at UAB in the season-opener was followed by a triumph over Coastal Carolina at home, 4-1. The squad is let on court one by Bobo Dakota and has similarly found success on the back three courts, holding a 16-6 record thus far.