No. 17 Women's Tennis Concludes Homestand Against Iowa State and KansasNo. 17 Women's Tennis Concludes Homestand Against Iowa State and Kansas
Edward Finan / UCF Athletics

No. 17 Women's Tennis Concludes Homestand Against Iowa State and Kansas

by Ava Jessum

ORLANDO - The No. 17 UCF women’s tennis team is looking to maintain its five-match win streak as it faces off against No. 52 Iowa State and No. 40 Kansas this weekend. 

The squad will have the home-court advantage, looking to continue their flawless performance at the USTA National Campus. The Knights (12-1, 4-0)  have gone 8-0 in home matches thus far and are looking to continue this record when they face Iowa State (8-4, 2-2) Friday at 6 p.m. and Kansas (8-6, 2-2) Sunday at noon.

LAST TIME OUT

Last weekend solidified the Black and Gold as a force to be reckoned with in conference play. On Friday, the team faced No. 15 Baylor and started by clinching the doubles point. Olivia Lincer and Hannah Rylatt showcased their prowess against the 15th-ranked tandem in the nation, with Sophia Biolay and Aya El Aouni following shortly after with a win against Baylor’s 89th-ranked duo. In singles, Lincer quickly disposed of her opponent, while Jantje Tilbuerger and Olivia Bergler rounded out the final points for the team in dramatic fashion. The Knights were victorious 5-2.

The squad then played No. 40 TCU on Sunday afternoon, where they remained dominant on the court. The team once again found success within doubles and carried that momentum into their singles performance, with wins from Lincer, Biolay and El Aouni on the front three. The Black and Gold would ultimately win the match 4-1 after showcasing their dominance in singles and doubles play. 

QUICK HITS

  • The women's tennis team jumped five places to earn a new national ranking, sitting at No. 17. The new ranking came after a key win against No. 15 Baylor, as well as a 4-1 win where the Knights commanded the court against No. 40 TCU.
  • Lincer was named the Big 12 player of the week after going undefeated in singles so far this season. This is the second consecutive week a Knight has claimed this title, as freshman El Aouni was awarded the honor a week earlier. 
  • The squad is currently 4-0 in conference play, remaining tied with Texas Tech as the two undefeated teams in the Big 12. 
  • Biolay and El Aouni remain in the ITA top 100 national rankings. Biolay currently sits at the No. 88 spot, with El Aouni just ahead at No. 83.

THE OPPONENTS 

IOWA STATE

Iowa State currently sits at No. 52 in the national rankings, after going 8-4 overall and 2-2 in conference play so far this season. The Cyclones are currently coming off a loss against Arizona State, where they fell 0-4. 

The last time the two teams faced each other was last season in UCF’s inaugural Big 12 season. The Knights emerged victorious, sweeping Iowa State 4-0. 

KANSAS

The Jayhawks boast an 8-6 record so far this season, going 2-2 against Big 12 opponents. No. 40 Kansas is no stranger to UCF, as they recently faced them in the opening round of the Big 12 championships last season.

UCF was able to clinch the win 4-2 at the championships, and the Knights hope to find the same success against Kansas on Sunday afternoon at the USTA NAtional Campus.