Building on a strong fall season, the conference office announced on Tuesday that the Knights’ women’s tennis team has been ranked third in the 2025 Big 12 Preseason Poll.
Voted upon by the league’s head coaches, the Knights slotted in with 189 points, compared to the 2024 preseason poll where they tallied 126 points and were picked to place fourth. In 2024, the fourth-place slot marked the highest rank for any UCF team during the school’s inaugural campaign in the Big 12, with the third-place position this academic year holding a similar title.
UCF returns nine players for the 2025 season, including three who were ranked in the final 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings. Additionally, the Knights welcome five exciting freshmen to the fall 2025 roster, each boasting strong ITF juniors rankings and professional experience both in America and abroad.
The announcement comes not even 24 hours after UCF was positioned 25th in the ITA preseason poll, marking the third time under director of tennis and head coach Bryan Koniecko that the Knights will enter a season among the nation’s top-25.
Fans won’t have to wait long to see the Knights as they open their season on January 19th with a twin-bill at the USTA National Campus. UCF will face Georgia Southern at 11 a.m., followed by a matchup against Bethune-Cookman at 4 p.m.
Full Big 12 Conference Preseason Rankings
- Oklahoma State - 225 (15)
- Baylor - 192
- UCF - 189
- Arizona State - 184 (1)
- Texas Tech - 169
- BYU - 145
- TCU - 138
- Kansas - 134
- Arizona - 128
- Kansas State - 90
- Iowa State - 83
- Colorado - 70
- Houston - 62
- Utah - 62
- West Virginia - 26
- Cincinnati - 23