Two-Time Champion Bulls Fall to No. 25 UCF, 4-0, in American Athletic Conference Title Match
ORLANDO, April 21, 2019 – Playing to earn their third conference title since joining The American, USF fought hard in a 4-0 loss to top-seeded UCF in Sunday's American Athletic Conference Tournament championship match played at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona.
No. 2 seed USF made a memorable run to the title match, knocking off No. 10 seed Cincinnati and sixth-seeded SMU to reach its fourth conference tournament championship match since joining The American.
"We ran into a better team today, but the amount of pride I have to coach this group of young women has made this season one of the most memorable," said head coach
Cristina Moros.
No. 25-ranked UCF (22-3, 9-0) earned an early lead thanks to a doubles point win. UCF's No. 19-ranked tandem of Valeryia Zeleva and Ksenia Kuznetsova defeated the Bulls'
Nicole Dzenga (Harare, Zimbabwe) and
Alexandria Mjos (Austin, Texas), 6-1, on the premiere court while
Janvhi Clark (Tauranga, New Zealand) and
Laura Pellicer Perello (Valencia, Spain) fell on court three, 6-3.
The Knights extended their lead with a singles court-six win over Mjos, 6-2, 6-0, and a victory by No. 46-ranked Zeleva on the top court over No. 58-ranked
Ana Roman Dominguez (Burgos, Spain), 6-2, 6-2.
USF (13-11, 6-3) needed to win the remaining four courts to secure their third conference championship. Despite a great effort by
Vanja Klaric (Gaborone, Botswana), UCF won court two, 6-1, 6-3, to clinch their first American Athletic Conference women's championship.
Quotable
Head coach, Cristina Moros, on the seniors' impact despite today's loss…
"Today's match was a reflection of the fight this team has showed all year. We ran into a better team today, but the amount of pride I have to coach this group of young women has made this season one of the most memorable. This senior class has given their heart and soul to this program and we are in a better place because of them. I can only hope they have learned just as much from me as I have learned from them. It has been an absolute honor to be part of their journey."
Match Results
Doubles
1. #19 Valeryia Zeleva/Ksenia Kuznetsova (UCF) def.
Nicole Dzenga/
Vanja Klaric (USF) 6-1
2.
Amelie Boy/A. Roman Dominguez (USF) vs. Rebeka Stolmar/Marie Mattel (UCF) no result
3. Natalia Serrano/Domenika Turkovic (UCF) def.
Janvhi Clark/L. Pellicer Perello (USF) 6-3
Order of finish: (1,3)
Singles
1. #46 Valeryia Zeleva (UCF) def. #58 A. Roman Dominguez (USF) 6-2, 6-2
2. Ksenia Kuznetsova (UCF) def.
Vanja Klaric (USF) 6-1, 6-3
3. L. Pellicer Perello (USF) vs. Rebeka Stolmar (UCF) no result
4.
Amelie Boy (USF) vs. Marie Mattel (UCF) no result
5.
Nicole Dzenga (USF) vs. Natalia Serrano (UCF) no result
6. Nandini Sharma (UCF) def.
Alexandria Mjos (USF) 6-2, 6-0
Order of finish: (6,1,2)
About Women's Tennis
Be sure to follow USF women's tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information.
Head coach Cristina Moros will be in her fifth year at the helm, as she led the program to an American Athletic Conference Championship in 2017.
– #GoBulls –
