Men’s tennis readies to host conference championship

The stake will be higher, and the setting will be familiar.

The UCF Knights men’s tennis team (9-12) will have a bit of home-court advantage when the Conference USA Men’s Tennis Championship kicks off today.

The four-day event will be held at the UCF Tennis Complex, presenting the program with an opportunity to defend its home court.

“It’s really nice,” head coach Bobby Cashman said in a release. “It has been a couple of years and anytime we can host such a huge event in our backyard, it’s great.”

The start of the tournament today will mark the second time since 2005, when UCF joined Conference USA, that the Knights will have hosted the event. For seniors like Joe Delinks and Eugene Dolgovykh, it’s one more chance to end their careers at UCF on a good note.

“For Joe and Eugene, this will be an excellent way for them to finish their careers as Knights,” Cashman said. “These two guys thrive off the competition that tournaments present, and they play their best at home. The stage is set for them to make a grand exit.”

UCF will kick off the championship today at 2 p.m. against East Carolina (13-10). Should the Knights find success and move on in the championship, the C-USA championship match is slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Cashman is excited to see what his program can do in an improving league’s biggest stage.

“The league has improved is competitive from top to bottom,” Cashman said. “Teams from our league have been in and out of the rankings all season long. The good thing is every team starts with a clean slate when you enter the conference tournament, and it doesn’t matter what your record was in the regular season.”