TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Valeryia Zeleva scored the clinching point at No. 1 singles as UCF stunned No. 11 Florida State with a 4-1 win against the Seminoles in the second round of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship Saturday.
 
The win sends the Knights to the round of 16 of the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history. UCF will face No. 6 Pepperdine Thursday in a Super Regional match played in Malibu, California.
 
UCF, which improved to 24-3 with the win, beat one of the three teams to have defeated the Knights during the 2019 season. Florida State was a 5-2 winner against the Knights Jan. 20 in Tallahassee.
 
Saturday’s match saw the Knights win a closely contested doubles point and answer with three straight singles wins after the Seminoles had claimed the first point in the singles round.
 
Marie Mattel and Nandini Sharma both scored 6-2, 6-4 wins after Florida State had made it 1-1, setting the stage for Zeleva, who delivered a 6-3, 6-4 victory at the No. 1 spot.
 
Zeleva and Mattel were winners in both singles and doubles for the Knights. Zeleva joined Ksenia Kuznetsova for a 7-5 win at No. 1 to clinch the doubles point, while Mattel joined Rebeka Stolmar for a 6-4 victory at No. 2.
 
UCF becomes the second American Athletic Conference school in as many years to reach the women’s tennis round of 16, coming on the heels of Tulsa’s trip to the third round last season.
 
 
 
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
American Athletic Conference Pairings
 
First Round | May 3
at Tallahassee, Fla.
UCF 4, Alabama 0                
 
Second Round | May 4
at Tallahassee, Fla.
UCF 4, Florida State 1                 
 
Third Round | May 10
at Malibu, Calif.
UCF (24-3) at Pepperdine (23-3), 4 p.m.