ORLANDO - The UCF women's tennis team continued climbing in the latest ITA Rankings, slotting in at 17th, its highest position this season.
The six-place jump came after a statement win over no. 15 Baylor this weekend and another impressive triumph over No. 40 TCU. Voted just above the Knights in the Big 12 preseason poll at No. 2, the Bears now sit behind the Black and Gold in 20th. The 5-2 victory is currently UCF’s highest-ranked win of the season.
Having not entered the top 20 since 2023, when the squad rose to 14th, the Knights went from 44th in the nation just two weeks ago to an eye-catching 17th following a quartet of dominating Big 12 victories.
A win over TCU on Sunday also contributed to the Knights’ new status as No. 17. Sophia Biolay hung on for the win against Baylor’s Zuzanna Kubacha, 7-5, 7-5, and took court three in straight sets again on the weekend over TCU’s Isabel Pascual, 6-3, 6-1.
Hannah Rylatt and Olivia Lincer had outstanding performances against tough doubles opponents. They walked away victorious against a 15th-ranked duo from Baylor and a 23rd-ranked tandem from TCU.
Conference leaders Texas Tech sit just three places away in 14th. The Knights will look to protect their unbeaten conference run to make the most out of their match against the Red Raiders later this month.
UCF has made a habit of striking first in their contests. They’ve secured the doubles point in nine of their last 10 matches. With only one blemish on their 12-1 record this season, they are still unbeaten at home with eight wins at the USTA National Campus.
The Knights will hope to extend this run against No. 59 Iowa State and No. 49 Kansas this weekend in their pursuit to top the Big 12 Conference.