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Women's Tennis Set For Sunday Doubleheader Versus North Florida, Bethune-Cookman

by Logan Hasselbach

ORLANDO – The UCF women’s tennis team looks to complete its non-conference slate in the win column when North Florida and Bethune-Cookman come to town. The Sunday doubleheader will take place at the USTA National Campus with the match against the Ospreys kicking off at noon, and first serve against the Wildcats slated for 4:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT

The Knights had a challenging weekend against No. 20 Tennessee and Wisconsin, with rain forcing them into the indoor courts on Sunday against the Badgers. Friday against Tennessee, UCF was swept by the Lady Vols, but the match was not without highlights. Freshman Olivia Lincer was just one game away from her first collegiate singles win, up 6-2, 6-5 on serve against her opponent on court two, when the match was clinched. Anique Kattenberg was also close to her first singles victory of the 2024 season, leading her opponent 7-5, 4-4, on court five. The doubles pairing of Noel Saidenova and Kattenberg were exchanging holds with the 29th-ranked duo from Tennessee, 5-4, when the Lady Vols earned the doubles point on courts two and three.

Sunday’s indoor match against Wisconsin yielded better results than the match prior, picking up two singles wins at positions two and three. The duo of Saidenova and Kattenberg picked up its third win of the season at the first doubles position, a 7-5 win against Wisconsin’s top pairing. Saidenova picked up another win Sunday, a 6-3, 6-3, decision on singles court three. The junior moved to 3-2 in singles competition this season with the victory.

Sophia Biolay earned a big, straight-set win on court two 6-3, 6-3, putting her at 3-2 in singles contests.

 

KNIGHTS IN THE POLLS

After earning a ranked win at court one against Florida International and a statement straight-set victory at court two against Wisconsin, Biolay has found herself ranked in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles poll for the first time in her career. While having been ranked in doubles before and reaching a career-high of No. 29 with Marie Mattel last year, the ranking of 121 is the first time Biolay has been ranked as an individual player. The win over Alina Mukhortova, 6-3, 6-3, and No. 104 Oyinlomo Quadre of FIU propelled the junior into the rankings as the first Knight this season to be named in an ITA poll.

 

SCOUTING THE OSPREYS

North Florida holds a 4-3 record on the season and will play Florida Atlantic Saturday morning before traveling to Orlando Sunday. Prior to the FAU match, UNF most recently bested Charleston Southern in a tight 4-3 battle February 19. The Ospreys took the doubles point with wins on courts one and two, as well as singles wins at three, five and six.

The all-time series between the teams is tied at eight matches apiece. The squads have not seen each other since 2021, when the Knights took the March 13 matchup with a commanding 6-1 decision.

Members of the teams have gone head-to-head this season at the Bedford Cup in Tampa, Florida. Saidenova and Kattenberg took down the Ospreys tandem of Amy Kaplan and Isabel Oliveira in the finals of the doubles competition to secure the crown. Kattenberg saw Kaplan once more in the opening round of the singles contest and swiftly defeated her 6-4, 6-3, to advance to the quarterfinals.

 

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS

Bethune-Cookman, nine matches into the season, has yet to find a win in dual matches play. Most recently, the squad played in its first SWAC Pod matchup, competing against three other SWAC teams in Montgomery, Alabama. The Wildcats picked up a point against Prairie Valley A&M on their second day of the tournament, a walkover on court six. The Knights are undefeated against B-CU in the all-time series, leading 12-0. The last time the teams met was last season, where UCF swept the Wildcats 4-0 April 7, not dropping a game en route to the victory.