USF Athletics

South Florida Heads to the Grand Canyon State for the Tempe Elite 8

February 24, 2022

TEMPE ELITE 8
TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: https://bit.ly/3sgZ1jf
LOCATION: Tempe, Ariz.
SITE: Kiwanis Tennis Center
TOURNAMENT BRACKET: Click here
TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANTS: Arizona State, Cal Poly, No. 34 Memphis, New Mexico, No. 65 Rice, No. 71 Santa Barbara, South Florida, Utah State
 
MATCH SEVEN
MATCHUP: South Florida vs. Cal Poly
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 25
TIME: Noon ET
 
MATCH EIGHT
MATCHUP: South Florida vs. No. 34 Memphis/New Mexico
WHEN: Saturday, Feb. 26
TIME: Noon ET
 
MATCH NINE
MATCHUP: South Florida vs. TBA
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 27
TIME: TBA
 
TAMPA (Feb. 24, 2022) – The University of South Florida men's tennis team heads to the Grand Canyon State to compete in the Tempe Elite 8 Tournament at the Kiwanis Tennis Center in Tempe, Ariz., Feb. 25-27. The event has three teams that appear in this week's ITA Top 75 rankings. American Athletic Conference foe, Memphis is ranked No. 34, Rice is No. 65 and Santa Barbara is slotted in a No. 71.
 
The Bulls (2-4), who have been off for a total of 11 days between matches, will look to get back in the win column when they face Cal Poly on Friday at noon ET. The Green and Gold will face either No. 34 Memphis or New Mexico on Saturday at noon on day two of the three-day event.
 
South Florida last faced No. 13 Texas A&M on Feb. 12, falling to the Aggies, 4-3.
 
Chase Ferguson, the Bulls' No. 1 singles player is currently ranked No. 94 in the latest ITA rankings, and Sergio Gomez Montesa will put his 4-0 record on the line against the Mustangs.
 
Ivan Yatsuk, South Florida's No. 3 singles player will also look to feed off his hard-fought 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 victory against Texas A&M in his last outing.
 
On the doubles side, Gomez Montesa and Alvin Tudorica are 3-2 on the year with all of their matches coming on court three, while Ferguson and Antonio Muniz are 2-2 on court two.
 
Rithvik Bollipalli and Bruno Oliveira will look for their third-straight win when they take court one.
 
Scouting Cal Poly
The Mustangs (6-1) enter Friday on a five-match win streak following wins including wins over San Diego State (4-2) and UNLV (5-2) in their last two outings.
 
Cal Poly's success this year is off the back of a trio of strong singles players. On court one, Noah Berry is undefeated with a 7-0 record while Joe Leather is 5-1 record on court two. Rounding out the trio is Gary Vardanyan on court six who is 5-1 on the year.
 
In doubles play, the Mustangs are a combined 12-4 on the year through all three courts. Hendrik Inno and Joe Leather on court one and Colter Smith and Bastiaan Weststrate on court two each boast 4-1 records in doubles play.
 
About Men's Tennis
Be sure to follow USF men's tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Head Coach Ashley Fisher will begin his sixth year at the helm of the program for the 2022 season.