UCF tennis teams set to cap seasons with NCAA tournament appearances

In a first-floor conference room of the Wayne Densch Center for Student-Athlete Leadership, members of the UCF men’s and women’s tennis teams gathered for a celebration on Monday.

Black and gold balloons accented several tables as family and friends of the Knights tennis programs came together to find out where the two teams would wind up spending their postseason.

The NCAA tournament selection show played on a large screen as players, coaches and participants mingled, waiting to hear the news. They didn’t have to wait long.

UCF men’s tennis will host the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history. South Florida, Florida, Miami and the Knights will take to the courts at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona this weekend.

UCF, which earned the No. 15 overall seed, will face Miami on Friday.

UCF women's tennis team reacts to earning a spot in the 2025 NCAA Tennis Tournament. The Knights will travel to Raleigh, N.C., to face Furman in the N.C. State regional on Friday. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)

“To be able to host, first of all, is amazing, being it’s only the second time we’ve done it,” said coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess. “I’m really happy to have secured that.”

The last time UCF hosted an NCAA regional was in 2021 when the team advanced to the second round but lost to Mississippi State, 4-2.

“It’s an interesting region, one that’s going to be tough,”  Bruce-Burgess said. “All three teams are teams we have beaten and lost to in the last two years, so it’s going to make some interesting matches.”

Bruce-Burgess helped guide the Knights to a 21-8 overall record this season, finishing as runner-ups to Arizona in the Big 12 tournament.

This will be the second time UCF has faced Miami (13-10) this season, with the Knights dropping a 4-2 decision in Coral Gables on Feb. 7.

“They’re tough at 1, 2 and 3; that’s where they beat us this year. And they got us at 5 as well to clinch it. They’ve been good there all year, so we expect to be tough up there,”  Bruce-Burgess said.

Make no mistake: Bruce-Burgess and the Knights are looking for revenge this weekend.

“Last year we played Florida and they beat us in the regular season, and then we beat them 4-3 [in the postseason]. Miami beat us in the regular season, and now we’re facing them again in the first round,” he said. “That fuel is there. We were disappointed about the loss. I know the guys want to get revenge, and obviously the opportunity to make the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history is at stake.”

UCF women’s team will head to North Carolina to participate in the NC State Regional against Furman on Friday.

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“We’re super excited to be part of it,” UCF women’s tennis coach Bryan Koniecko said.  “We’ve had a fantastic season, and we’re looking forward to ending it the right way. Furman is going to be a tough one.”

The women’s tennis team achieved a remarkable milestone that set it apart from any other program in school history when the Knights captured a share of the Big 12 title this season with a 12-1 mark. The 22-3 overall record is the best since 2019 and helped the team secure its fourth consecutive appearance and 10th overall.

“We’re such a young team. We had four freshmen and a sophomore in our lineup,” said Koniecko. “We haven’t had the chance to sit down and have dinner and talk about it yet. There’s a lot still to play for this season, so we’ve been trying to stay focused.”

Despite his team’s stellar performance, Koniecko wasn’t sure where his team would wind up playing.

“This was an interesting year because we usually have a good idea of where we’re going to go, but with no schools in Florida, we could have been sent anywhere. We could have even been sent to the West Coast,” Koniecko said.

UCF and Furman (21-3) have met seven times previously, with the most recent meeting taking place in 2021.

“Furman is a great team. You can see from their record that they haven’t lost much at all this year. So it’s going to be a war in the first round,” Koniecko said.

The first and second rounds of the tournament begin on Friday, with the Super Regional scheduled for May 9-11 and the championship for May 15-18.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.