LAKE NONA, Fla. - No. 68 North Florida men's tennis (8-5) pounced on No. 58 UCF (4-9) in doubles, although the Knights won at courts one, four and five in singles to create a 3-1 lead and eventually hold off the Ospreys late in UNF's 4-1 loss Friday, March 11.
Despite the loss, UNF was merely points away from turning the tables on UCF. Courts two and three went to tiebreakers, and
Joe Ellis at court six pushed his foe to a third set before the court was left unfinished.
The loss snaps North Florida's six-match winning streak, its longest such streak since the 2017 season.
How it Happened
After some last-minute lineup changes,
Nilo Duarte and
Rodrigo Crespo came together at the second slot and won a commanding 6-2 match.
Jonas Hartenstein and
Jorge Nunez nabbed an impressive win against UCF's No. 37-ranked top doubles pair, clinching the point with a 6-4 decision. The duo came back from a 40-0 deficit up 4-2, propelling the pair to a 5-2 lead and eventually the match.
UCF got into its groove at the start of singles. The Knights won in straight sets at slots one, four and five. Despite being down 3-1, UNF was far from out of it, as
Matt Carroll, Duarte and
Joe Ellis pushed each of their matches to three sets.
Ultimately, UCF clinched the match in a three-set tiebreaker at court three, just seconds before Duarte had the chance to get UNF a singles point, up 6-4 in his seven-point tiebreaker in the third. Ellis his match left unfinished at the sixth slot.
#58 UCF 4, #68 UNF 1
Friday, March 11 | USTA National Campus | Lake Nona, Fla.
Singles Competition
1. Lleyton Cronje (UCF) def.
Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) 6-3, 6-2
2. #61 Trey Hilderbrand (UCF) vs.
Nilo Duarte (UNF) 7-6 (7-4), 2-6, 6-6 (4-6), unfinished
3. Bogdan Pavel (UCF) def.
Matt Carroll (UNF) 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Alan Rubio (UCF) def.
Jorge Nunez (UNF) 6-2, 6-4
5. JC Roddick (UCF) def.
Breno Marques (UNF) 6-4, 6-2
6. Cooper White (UCF) vs.
Joe Ellis (UNF) 7-5, 4-6, 2-1, unfinished
Doubles Competition
1.
Jorge Nunez/
Jonas Hartenstein (UNF) def. #37 Lleyton Cronje/Bogdan Pavel (UCF) 6-4
2.
Nilo Duarte/
Rodrigo Crespo (UNF) def. #56 Trey Hilderbrand/Cooper White (UCF) 6-2
3. JC Roddick/Alan Rubio (UCF) vs. Matt/Carroll/
Joe Ellis (UNF) 5-3, unfinished
Match Notes
North Florida 8-5; National ranking #68
UCF 4-9; National ranking #58
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (1,4,5,3)
T-3:24 A-83
Other Notes
- UNF's lone losses have either come against Power Five programs or American Athletic Conference competition in USF and UCF.
- Ellis made his second dual singles appearance of the season.
- Ellis and Carroll played in their first match as a doubles pairing this spring.
Coach Lucas' Comments
Up Next
UNF returns home to host Omaha for a twin bill Tuesday.
