GAINESVILLE, Fla. – After a year filled with resiliency and determination, the No. 38 UCF women's tennis team's season came to a close in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon. The grudge match against Georgia Tech started off hot but ended in heartbreak for the Knights in the 4-1 decision.
After dropping the doubles point against the Yellow Jackets earlier in the season, UCF came out with vengeance. Sophia Biolay and Marie Mattel defeated Georgia Tech's top pair at the No. 1 doubles court with a strong 6-2 victory. The Knights duo earned a huge break in the second game and never looked back, holding the lead for the entire match.
Stefani Webb made her return to the courts with partner Nandini Sharma at doubles No. 2. The freshman, who has been out since March 25 due to injury, and Sharma are ranked No. 68 in the ITA doubles poll and showcased why they deserved to be the only tandem ranked between the two teams. The duos traded sets back and forth, until the Knights went up 4-3, powering through to take the match 6-3, clinching the doubles point.
In a true reverse from the previous meeting between the two teams, the Black and Gold struggled to gain any momentum in singles, winning only two first sets. Jantje Tilbuerger, who has been out since March 15 due to injury, also returned to the lineup on Friday. While her doubles match went unfinished, the freshman was making waves in singles. She took her first set by a score of 7-6(3) on court three. The other first set victory came from the back courts, in typical UCF fashion. Jaleesa Leslie battled hard to take her first set 7-5 on court six.
Court two was the first court to wrap up singles action, with Webb dropping 6-1, 6-1 in her first singles appearance in over a month. Court five was not far behind, going the Yellow Jackets way with a 6-3, 6-1 decision to put Georgia Tech up 2-1 on the match.
The match wrapped up soon after, with courts one and four completing almost simultaneously, 6-4, 6-3 and 7-5, 6-2, respectively. With that, the Yellow Jackets took the match to send the Knights back to Orlando.
UP NEXT
Senior Mattel will represent the Black and Gold at the NCAA Individual Championship. Ending the regular season as the top-ranked singles player in the AAC, the Knight earned an automatic bid to the tournament for the second year in a row. Play will kick off on May 22 at the USTA National Campus.
#19 Georgia Tech 4, #37 UCF 1
Singles competition
1. #15 Carol Lee (GT) def. #37 Marie Mattel (UCF) 6-4, 6-3
2. #31 Kylie Bilchev (GT) def. Stefani Webb (UCF) 6-1, 6-1
3. #102 Mahak Jain (GT) vs. Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) 6-7 (3-7), 2-2, unfinished
4. #115 Alejandra Cruz (GT) def. Sophia Biolay (UCF) 7-5, 6-2
5. Rosie Garcia Gross (GT) def. Nandini Sharma (UCF) 6-3, 6-1
6. Kate Sharabura (GT) vs. Jaleesa Leslie (UCF) 5-7, 5-5, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Sophia Biolay/Marie Mattel (UCF) def. Kylie Bilchev/Alejandra Cruz (GT) 6-2
2. #68 Nandini Sharma/Stefani Webb (UCF) def. Monika Dedaj/Kate Sharabura (GT) 6-3
3. Anique Kattenberg/Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) vs. Rosie Garcia Gross/Carol Lee (GT) 4-4, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (2,5,1,4)