ORLANDO, Fla. - The No. 29 UCF women's tennis team (6-5) earned a dominating 5-2 victory over No. 41 Penn State (8-7) on Wednesday night at the USTA National Campus. A huge doubles point win gave the Knights the confidence they needed to continue rolling through the singles courts, picking up all but two.
The Knights started the doubles point off with a bang, with the 61st-ranked duo of Marie Mattel and Sophia Biolay sweeping court two (6-0). After gaining the lead, the doubles pairings never looked back. Right next door on court one, Noel Saidenova and Jantje Tilbuerger showed their determination and fight, winning three straight deuce points and taking the match 6-4. The third doubles placement got off to a slow start, going down 1-3 early in the match, but battled hard to bring the match to 5-5, right as the doubles point was clinched by the Knights, causing it to go unfinished.
Singles play picked up right where the doubles left off, with senior Nandini Sharma taking a strong first set victory (6-0) on court six. Sharma knew exactly where to place the ball, never allowing her opponent to take more than a one point lead in the opening set. The second set went just as quick and Sharma defeated her opponent 6-3 to earn another point for the Knights, putting them up 2-0.
One court over, Biolay had a successful night as well, facing off against Olivia Dorner on singles five. She also took a hot lead in the first set and never gave up, winning the first set 6-3. Dorner came back in the second set, taking a 3-1 lead at one point, but Biolay kept fighting and came back to win 6-4 to give the Black and Gold a commanding 3-0 lead on the night.
Moments later, No. 30 Mattel clinched the match for the Knights, earning a ranked win at the top singles spot. A quick 6-2 decision in the first set put Mattel up early, but 43rd-ranked Sofiya Chekhlystova didn't want to go down without a fight, forcing the second set to 5-5. Mattel persisted and took the set 7-5 to earn the clinching point for the Knights, now up 4-0.
With the match clinched, the teams decided to play out the remaining courts. Freshman Stefani Webb was the next court to wrap up action, forcing a third set after dropping set one 4-6. Deuce points were on the Knights' side this evening, as Webb won numerous to take the match (4-6, 6-3, 6-2) and put the squad up 5-0 after a phenomenal ace to finish off court two.
Courts three and four went to third sets as well, but both went to the Nittany Lions as both Saidenova (6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 0-1 (10-5)) and Tilbuerger (2-6, 6-2, 2-6) were defeated. The Knights are now 3-0 against the Nittany Lions and have improved their home record to 5-2.
#29 UCF 5, #41 Penn State 2
Singles competition
1. #30 Marie Mattel (UCF) def. #43 Sofiya Chekhlystova (PSU) 6-2, 7-5
2. Stefani Webb (UCF) def. Yvonne Zuffova (PSU) 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
3. Ioana Gheorghita (PSU) def. Noel Saidenova (UCF) 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 1-0 (10-5)
4. Carla Girbau (PSU) def. Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) 6-2, 2-6, 6-2
5. Sophia Biolay (UCF) def. Olivia Dorner (PSU) 6-3, 6-4
6. Nandini Sharma (UCF) def. Alexandra Nielsen (PSU) 6-0, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Noel Saidenova/Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) def. Sofiya Chekhlystova/Carla Girbau (PSU) 6-4
2. #61 Marie Mattel/Sophia Biolay (UCF) def. Karly Friedland/Olivia Dorner (PSU) 6-0
3. Nandini Sharma/Stefani Webb (UCF) vs. Ioana Gheorghita/Alexandra Nielsen (PSU) 5-5, unfinished
Order of Finish
Doubles (2,1) Singles (6,5,1,2,3,4)
UP NEXT
The Knights will take on No. 11 Virginia on Friday, Mar. 10 at 5 p.m. and will look to earn their fourth ranked win of the spring season.
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