No. 20 Women's Tennis Welcomes FIU for Sunday MatineeNo. 20 Women's Tennis Welcomes FIU for Sunday Matinee
Conor Kvatek / UCF Athletics

No. 20 Women's Tennis Welcomes FIU for Sunday Matinee

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO - Following a pair of dramatic wins against tournament hopefuls a week ago, the No. 20 UCF women’s tennis team is set for a showdown with in-state foe FIU this Sunday at the USTA National Campus.

The Panthers (2-1) and Knights (3-0) will meet for the 39th time in the school’s history, with UCF looking to get back in the win column against its in-state foe following a defeat in Miami last season.

Sunday’s contest will mark the first ‘Match Points & Mimosas’ event, as fans will have specialty drinks and brunch items available at the concession stand (11 a.m.), before making their way into the collegiate tennis center for the match.

LAST TIME OUT

In lieu of the ITA Kickoff Tournament that was set to take place in Los Angeles, the Knights faced off against both FSU and Colombia this past weekend.

Down 3-0 to then-No. 24 FSU, UCF battled back with wins from a trio of freshmen, paired with reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year Olivia Lincer taking care of business on court one. France native Jade Psonka tallied the clincher in a brilliant third-set display.

While not in the hole the Knights found themselves in the day prior, the squad had to rally once again Columbia in Fort Myers. Trailing 2-1 following a loss on court six, the Black and Gold reeled off three singles wins in minutes, capped off by Aya El Aouni’s win on court one.

QUICK HITS

  • UCF Women’s Tennis currently ranks second among Big 12 programs following the latest ITA rankings. Conference favorites, Oklahoma State, shifted to third, while the Knights jumped No. 23 Baylor and No. 25 Texas Tech.
  • Freshman Aya El Aouni has had a standout commencement to collegiate tennis. The Moroccan native has yet to drop a set in her singles with wins on courts one and two.
  • Olivia Lincer, Jade Psonka, and Olivia Bergler all remain undefeated in singles play this season, with the latter two each sitting at 3-0 with a mix of straight-set triumphs and three-set victories.

THE OPPONENT 

FIU has started their season going 2-1, falling only to Florida in the opening round of the ITA Kickoff Weekend. The team boasts many promising players, including Ekaterina Khairutdinova who is currently ranked 80th in the ITA singles rankings. The Conference USA frontrunners are led by Katarina Petrovic, who is embarking on her 13th season with the squad. 

Following their defeat to the Gators in the first round, the Panthers got revenge on Miami in the coalition portion, as the Hurricanes defeated FIU in the first round of the NCAA tournament in 2024.