Season Preview: Women's Tennis Set for Sophomore Big 12 Campaign

ORLANDO - Following an impressive introductory season into the Big 12, UCF women’s tennis is looking to expand on its prior success during the 2025 spring season. The Knights are set to appear in 22 regular season matches before heading to the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas for the Big 12 Championship from April 16-20.

The team features several key returning players, as well as an abundance of newcomers. The Knights 2024 recruiting class was ranked second according to the Tennis Recruiting Network, provoking a lot of promise for the Knights. In the Big 12 preseason poll, the Knights were projected to be ranked third within the conference. 

Returning for the Knights is senior Sophia Biolay, who previously earned a spot on the All-Big 12 first team for singles. Biolay reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 57 during the 2023-2024 season. 

Sophomore Olivia Lincer is back for a second year, after a promising first season with the Knights. Lincer held her own going 7-10 in singles in the spring and was ultimately named the 2024 Big 12 Freshman of the Year. This prestigious title earned her a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team.

Familiar faces include juniors Donatella Guarnieri and Jantje Tilbuerger. Guarnieri is looking to build upon the momentum from a strong showing last campaign after joining the team mid-season. Tilbuerger currently holds a team-record 12-match unbeaten streak, spanning from Feb. 25 to April 12.

Within the second-ranked 2024 recruiting class, head coach Bryan Koniecko and assistant coach Francesca Di Lorenzo welcomed five freshmen to the team. Among the newcomers are Olivia Bergler and Aya El Aouni. Bergler is a promising new addition to the team, boasting a career-high ITF singles junior ranking of No.73 in 2024. El Aouni is coming off a pair of W15 Antalya singles titles in May 2024. Rounding out the incoming class are freshman Caroline Noe, Jade Psonka, and Hannah Rylatt. 

As the team prepares for the 2025 season, the mix of experienced athletes and talented newcomers holds promise that this will be a competitive year for the squad. The Knights will open their season with a doubleheader as they host both Georgia Southern and Bethune-Cookman Jan. 19th at the USTA National Campus.