ORLANDO, Fla. - The No. 26 UCF women's tennis team (7-6) picked up a huge ranked win over No. 72 Yale (8-7) on Tuesday evening at the USTA National Campus. The Knights swept the Bulldogs 4-0 in a quick two-hour match that saw numerous aces and deuce point wins to propel the squad across the finish line.
The Knights got a hot start to the doubles competition on court three, where Nandini Sharma and Stefani Webb faced Sophia Zaslow and Jamie Kim from Yale. Not letting the Bulldogs gain any momentum whatsoever, the Knights pairing quickly took down its opponents 6-0. Right next door on court two, the 61st-ranked duo of Marie Mattel and Sophia Biolay continued to apply the pressure, only giving up two games en route to the 6-2 victory that secured the doubles point for the Knights.
Switching gears into singles play, the Black and Gold did not let up on the gas pedal. The team won the first set on all but one of the courts. Freshman Webb, who won AAC's Women's Tennis Player of the Week honors earlier in the day, continued to dominate on court two, earning her third straight singles win with a powerful 6-1, 6-4 decision to give the Knights their first singles point of the evening.
The next court to deliver action for the Black and Gold was court four, where sophomore Biolay went head-to-head against Yale's Vivian Cheng. Biolay took the first set 6-4 and continued upon this momentum to do it again in the second set, defeating her opponent 6-4 in that set as well, putting the Knights within one point of clinching the victory.
Moments later on court one, Noel Saidenova had her opponent backed into a corner, after winning the first set 6-4. Saidenova, in her first appearance in the top singles spot for the season, battled hard, getting match point at 5-4. Her competitor didn't give up too easily, however, defeating Saidenova in four match points. This didn't deter the Knight, as she fought back to clinch the set and the match for the Knights with a huge ace (7-5).
After the match was clinched, all remaining courts were left unfinished. Anique Kattenberg saw her first singles appearance of the season on court six, taking a set victory with her before going unfinished (4-6, 6-4, uf).
#26 UCF 4, #72 Yale University 0
Singles competition
1. Noel Saidenova (UCF) def. Rhea Shrivastava (YALE) 6-4, 7-5
2. Stefani Webb (UCF) def. Chelsea Kung (YALE) 6-1, 6-4
3. Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) vs. Ann Wright Guerry (YALE) 6-3, 2-6, unfinished
4. Sophia Biolay (UCF) def. Vivian Cheng (YALE) 6-4, 6-4
5. Nandini Sharma (UCF) vs. Sophia Zaslow (YALE) 7-6 (7-1), 3-4, unfinished
6. Anique Kattenberg (UCF) vs. Rebecca Lynn (YALE) 4-6, 6-4, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Noel Saidenova/Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) vs. Rhea Shrivastava/Vivian Cheng (YALE) 3-4, unfinished
2. #61 Sophia Biolay/Marie Mattel (UCF) def. Ann Wright Guerry/Chelsea Kung (YALE) 6-2
3. Nandini Sharma/Stefani Webb (UCF) def. Sophia Zaslow/Jamie Kim (YALE) 6-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,4,1)
UP NEXT
The Knights wrap up their seven-game homestand on Friday, Mar. 18, hosting No. 7 NC State. The match will have a first serve time of 5 p.m. and will take place at the USTA National Campus.
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