ORLANDO - Having played 15 matches in just over 40 days, the UCF men’s tennis team is on the back-end of two weeks without competition. Released Tuesday afternoon, the Knights remained at 13th in the latest ITA rankings, setting up for an action-packed non-conference finale this weekend.
A weekend sweep of UAB and Stetson to conclude February commenced a seven-match homestand following the program’s inaugural ITA Indoor Championships where UCF faced three top-10 squads, highlighted by a 4-2 win over now No. 3 Ohio State.
The Knights continue to be among the Big 12’s best, trailing only No. 2 TCU and No. 8 Arizona, while Baylor continues its climb as the Bears sit just behind UCF at No. 14.
While the two top-10 teams will travel to Orlando to open Big 12 play from March 14 to 16, the Knights will have to navigate a tricky three-match weekend slate, starting with a doubleheader against UNC Wilmington and Coastal Carolina. The former recently took two courts off No. 1 Wake Forest in February and will serve as a strong test for the squad.
The non-conference finale will come against a familiar foe, as now No. 36 South Florida will make its journey down I-4 for the team’s second meeting of the season. Last month, the Knights narrowly escaped the upset in Tampa, clinching the match at 4-2 before the Bulls grabbed court four to push the final score to 4-3.
Yassine Dlimi made a sizable jump from 100th to 85th in the singles edition, as the senior continues to hold it down on court one.