No. 23 Women's Tennis Dominates No. 40 TCU, 4-1, to Remain Undefeated in Big 12 PlayNo. 23 Women's Tennis Dominates No. 40 TCU, 4-1, to Remain Undefeated in Big 12 Play

No. 23 Women's Tennis Dominates No. 40 TCU, 4-1, to Remain Undefeated in Big 12 Play

by Alex Clough
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ORLANDO - Led by a dominating front-three performance in singles, the No. 23 UCF women’s tennis team took care of business against No. 40 TCU at the USTA National Campus on Sunday afternoon.

Dawning the Citronaut Blue for the second match this season, the ‘Nauts took flight early and never looked back, moving to a perfect 4-0 in Big 12 play with wins over a trio of top-40 teams.

A key feature of the Knights’ vibrant start to conference play has been through some incredible doubles displays, with today’s performance no different. While TCU garnered the first point in each of their first three Big 12 matches, the Knights never let the Horned Frogs gain any momentum with early breaks throughout.

Sophia Biolay and Aya El Aouni set the tone with their fourth-consecutive win on court two, defeating Helena Narmont and Yu-Chin comfortably, 6-1. Minutes later, Olivia Lincer and Hannah Rylatt tallied their second-straight top-25 win on court one, defeating No. 23 Jade Otway and Isabel Pascual, 6-1.

Ranked in the first preseason poll, the tandem look primed to return to the field, with their wins leading the Knights’ display highlighting a 10th doubles point of the season.

In singles, each first set reached the 10-game mark as the team’s split favors. Unsurprisingly, the Knights jumped out to lead on the front three, a common hallmark of the squad’s 27-2 record on courts one through three entering this afternoon’s contest.

Not to leave Orlando empty-handed, TCU leveled the match with a win on court five, as Olivia Bergler couldn’t find her footing against Tomi Main. The shift in momentum was short-lived and insufficient, though, nixed by Olivia Lincer’s seventh win of the season, besting TCU’s Raquel Caballero-Chica, 7-5, 6-4. 

After claiming the program’s first Big 12 Player of the Week honor after a dominating weekend on the road, El Aouni had to bounce back for the first time in her collegiate career. After being handed her first loss of the season against No. 15 Baylor, the Moroccan was emphatic in her triumph over Jade Otway today, taking the duel in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.

The front-three sweep and clinch came from Biolay as the senior dropped just four games en route to her 6-3, 6-1 victory over TCU’s Isabel Pascual. 

On six, Rylatt responded after a first-set defeat to push her bout to a third, while Jade Psonka was up 5-4, looking to do the same.

UP NEXT

The Knights will conclude their four-match homestand as it welcomes No. 59 Iowa State on Friday, March 14, before facing No. 49 Kansas on Sunday.

Singles Results

  1. #82 Aya El Aouni (UCF) def. Jade Otway (TCU) 6-4, 6-3
  2. Olivia Lincer (UCF) def. Raquel Caballero-Chica (TCU) 7-5, 6-4
  3. #87 Sophia Biolay (UCF) def. Isabel Pascual (TCU) 6-3, 6-1
  4. Jade Psonka (UCF) vs. Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU) 4-6, 5-4, unfinished
  5. Tomi Main (TCU) def. Olivia Bergler (UCF) 6-4, 6-3
  6. Hannah Rylatt (UCF) vs. Cayetana Gay (TCU) 4-6, 6-1, 2-1, unfinished

Doubles Results

  1. Olivia Lincer/Hannah Rylett (UCF) def. #23 Jade Otway/Isabel Pascual (TCU) 6-1
  2. Sophia Biolay/Aya El Aouni (UCF) def. Helena Narmont/Yu-Chin Tsai (TCU) 6-1
  3. Olivia Bergler/Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) vs. Raquel Caballero-Chica/Tomi Main (TCU) 4-3