MIAMI (March 29, 2019) – The FIU women's tennis team hosts No. 21 UCF on Senior Day, as the Panthers take on the Knights Sunday, March 31 with first serve set for 1 p.m. ET.
The Panthers (10-4, 4-0 C-USA) will recognize senior
Maryna Veksler for the final time when they take on the Knights (17-2, 5-0 American) at the FIU Tennis courts.
Sunday's match caps a month-long homestand for FIU, which began on Feb 23. Since then, the Panthers have earned a nine-match winning streak and have obtained a perfect record against conference opponents. On the home turf, the Panthers are 8-1, dropping only one regular season match during that stretch. The lone loss came to Texas Tech, who ranked 20th at the time.
As Veksler begins to wrap up her Panther career she will take the FIU courts for the final time. A staple and leader on the FIU roster, Veksler has achieved 73 career singles wins and 56 doubles wins, including a bid to the NCAAs last season in doubles play. Veksler also became FIU's first C-USA Freshman of the Year honoree after the 2015-16 campaign.
A Computer Engineering major, Veksler has done an impressive job balancing athletics and academics and maintains a 3.62 GPA. She has been tabbed to the Dean's List every semester since starting at FIU and has been recognized on the C-USA Commissioners List numerous times. Veksler was also a recipient of the C-USA Academic Medal two years in a row to further recognize her success in the classroom.
FIU vs. UCF
UCF comes into Sunday's match sporting its own winning streak of 13 matches. Like the Panthers, the Knights are undefeated against conference opponents and jumped up to No. 21 in the latest Oracle/ITA rankings released on Tuesday. The Panthers and the Knights have met 28 times in program history with the Panthers leading the all-time series 22-6, with their last meeting coming nearly a year ago. On March 30, 2018, the Knights hosted the Panthers and were also ranked No. 21 overall, with FIU sitting at No. 37. FIU dropped a 4-1 decision to UCF on the road. On the quest for revenge, FIU is looking to capture a 10th-straight victory overall, as the Panthers welcome their cross-state foe Sunday afternoon.
2017-18 IN REVIEW
The 2017-18 season was the year of many firsts, including the first C-USA title program history after defeating Rice, 4-3. The Panthers won 17 matches and finished ranked No. 41 in the ITA rankings, the highest final ITA ranking since 2009, and have now ranked in the top 50 and earned at least 17 wins in back-to-back seasons. FIU did not lose in any home matches during the season and swept all six C-USA opponents to tally a winning percentage of .850. The Panthers earned their first NCAA berth since 2011 and just their ninth in program history, while three Panthers were selected to compete in the NCAA Individual Championships.
WHAT'S NEW?
The Panthers welcome a talented crop of freshmen,
Basak Akbas (Istanbul, Turkey)
Paulina Bakaite (Vilnius, Lithuania),
Mariia Solnyshkina (Kemerovo, Russia) and
Kamila Umarova (Tashkent, Uzbekistan) with each bringing an ITF ranking in singles play to FIU, as the group shows signs of being up-and-comers on the roster.
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers picked up their ninth-straight victory against Boston University. Blanking the Terriers 4-0 on March 13, prior to taking a 17-day break from competition.
UP NEXT
After FIU closes out the home slate, the Panthers will head to Houston to take on USF on Saturday, April 6. Following the match, FIU will cap regular-season play in the C-USA against Rice on Sunday, April 7.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUwomenstennis on Instagram and @FIUWTennis on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram
