ORLANDO – The UCF women’s tennis team will look to continue to develop its future with the signing of Olivia Bergler and Hannah Rylatt to National Letters of Intent, head coach Bryan Koniecko announced Sunday. The duo brings a combined five International Tennis Federation juniors titles and two Junior Grand Slam appearances to Orlando.
I am so excited to have Olivia and Hannah join the UCF tennis family! They both have tremendous team and personal goals, and they understand the work that will be required to achieve them. Francesca [DiLorenzo] and I can’t wait to begin working with both Olivia and Hannah.
Bryan KonieckoOlivia Bergler | Gliwice, Poland
Bergler comes to UCF with a career-high ITF junior ranking of 106 in both singles and doubles, as well as a career-high ITF women’s ranking of 415. In 2023, she advanced through the qualifying round at the US Open Junior Championships to compete in the main draw of the singles tournament. She also earned a spot in the main draw of the doubles tournament. The Poland native has collected three junior doubles titles at the J3 The Hague, J4 Szczecin and J4 Domzale.
“Olivia has some great experience, playing in Grand Slam junior events and I know she will achieve some amazing things in her career,” Koniecko said. “She is driven, determined and she will thrive at UCF. I can’t wait to see what she will be able to do as a Knight.”
The 2023 Polish singles, doubles, and mixed doubles national crowns belong to Bergler, as well as three 16U Poland National Championships in singles and two in doubles. In the professional women’s tour, she was a singles semifinalist at the W15 Savitaipale, and is ranked No. 1244 by the Women’s Tennis Association.
“UCF was the first university I visited, and it became a reference point for all the other universities,” said Bergler. “I have done a lot of work with my family, analyzing the teaching performance of female players from each school, the number of tournaments and development opportunities, and I believe that UCF and the USTA National Campus give me the best conditions to become the best version of myself. I believe that my best tennis years are still ahead of me, and Coach Koniecko will work to bring the best out.”
Hannah Rylatt | St. Helens, England
Rylatt marks the first British student-athlete to be recruited by Koniecko and only the second to play under him. The St. Helens, England, native earned a career-high ITF junior ranking of 346 in both singles and doubles. She has excelled in doubles play, where she has won two juniors titles, the J200 Vigo on hard court and the J4 Casablanca on clay courts. Rylatt took part in The Junior Championships, Wimbledon doubles main draw in 2023 with partner Ruby Cooling. She also won the England Doubles National Championship.
“Hannah has so many tools that make her such a unique player and we are so excited to work with her," said Koniecko. "Not only is she a great tennis player, but she comes from a great and humble family. Hannah will thrive in a team environment, and I am so excited to try and bring the best out of her on the tennis court.”
Her singles success features four semifinal appearances in ITF junior events and numerous wins in W15 and W25 tournaments. She reached the semifinals at the J100 Tallinn, J3 Loughborough, J4 Stirling and J4 Edinburgh tournaments. Rylatt has topped junior rankings in England, reaching the top five in 2022.
“I believe that UCF is the best place for me to be the best that I can,” Rylatt said. “The coaches, players and support staff work extremely hard to achieve their goals and that’s the environment I want to be around every day.”