Women's Tennis Defeats No. 25 Oklahoma State in Four-Hour Duel, 4-3Women's Tennis Defeats No. 25 Oklahoma State in Four-Hour Duel, 4-3
Edward Finan / UCF Athletics

Women's Tennis Defeats No. 25 Oklahoma State in Four-Hour Duel, 4-3

by Alex Clough
Box Score (PDF) Opens in a new window

STILLWATER, Oklahoma - A nearly four-hour match between two of the Big 12’s best made for a Sunday afternoon to remember. The UCF women’s tennis team prevailed in one of the best duels this season in the NCAA, defeating No. 25 Oklahoma State at the Greenwood Tennis Center, 4-3.

The Cowgirls (7-6), picked to win the Big 12 in the coach’s preseason poll, were handed a front-three sweep from the Knights (10-1), propelling the squad to its second top-25 win of the season and, more importantly, an opening-weekend sweep in conference play.

The contest’s opening point was a tale of two halves as each squad exchanged spells of strong play. UCF jumped out to early leads with breaks on multiple courts, having the edge as the courts passed six games apiece. However, the Cowgirls would battle back to force the Knights into some must-win games, opposing serves.

Oklahoma State prevailed in the first of two tiebreaks, as the 72nd-ranked duo of Anastasiya Komar and Rose Marie Nijkamp defeated Olivia Lincer and Hannah Rylatt on one, 7-6(2). Needing to shift the momentum back, it would be a pair of freshmen on court three who showed all the composure, as Olivia Bergler and Jade Psonka took their bout with a break on three, 7-5.

The leveler would quickly pay dividends as Sophia Biolay and Aya El Aouni dominated their tiebreak, reversing the score the Cowgirls had claimed one with to take both court two and the doubles points against Kylie Collins and Marcela Lopez, 7-6(2).

Striving to make the opening sets of single play advantageous, UCF fended off a Cowgirls swing as Lincer took her first set in a dramatic tiebreak, 10-8. The result prevented Oklahoma State from claiming leads on five courts, as Biolay would be the lone Knight to jump to a swift edge on three, 6-3.

Leading by example, the pair would finish their duels out in dominating fashion, with Lincer breaking Komar to win on two, 7-6(8), 6-3, while Biolay did the same to Collins on three, 6-4, immediately halting any spark the Cowgirls were building.

While the victories came shortly after Rylatt’s defeat on six at the hands of the 89th-ranked Lopez, 6-3, 6-4, it gave the Knights a clear edge as second sets ventured past eight games. Big 12 favorites for a reason, the Cowgirls immediately responded with a win on five as Psonka fell in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. While Bergler reacted well in the second, pushing Nijkamp to a tiebreaker, the freshman eventually came up short as Oklahoma State leveled the match once again on court four, 6-4, 7-6(6). 

Fittingly, the back-and-forth duel came down to an anticipated matchup on court one between two of the nation’s best newcomers. While Melisa Ercan took the first set, 6-4, 122nd-ranked El Aouni pushed it to a deciding set with a 6-3 triumph in the second. Approaching the four-hour mark, four consecutive breaks between the pair headlined the third, pushing it to four-all. 

Rarely do you see a freshman display such confidence, let alone leading her squad on court one. Though for Knight nation, this has become the norm as El Aouni broke late before holding serve to clinch the match for the Black and Gold, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.

UP NEXT

The Knights will return home to open a four-match homestand on Friday, March 7, welcoming No. 14 Baylor to the USTA National Campus.