Women's Tennis Claims UCF's First Big 12 ChampionshipWomen's Tennis Claims UCF's First Big 12 Championship

Women's Tennis Claims UCF's First Big 12 Championship

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

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah - The wait is over.

On a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center in the Crossroads of the West, the No. 20 UCF women's tennis team made history over 2,000 miles away, securing UCF Athletics its first Big 12 title.

The Knights dominated Utah 4-1 to claim at least a share of the regular-season crown, with the squad being the first in the league to 12 wins.

The Knights’ day didn’t start like it finished, however, as the squad dropped the opening point for the second consecutive match. While Sophia Biolay and Aya El Aouni swept Emma Kamper and Hayley Roberts on court two, Utah responded with a pair of contested wins.

On court one, 22nd-ranked Olivia Lincer and Hannah Rylatt fell 6-4 before a court-three tiebreak went the Utes’ way as Olivia Bergler and Jade Psonka came up just short.

Looking for a swift response, the Knights firmly took back control of the duel with six first-set wins to open the singles competition. 

Down by one, UCF flipped the script in just over an hour courtesy of Jade Psonka and Hannah Rylatt’s dominating triumphs on courts five and six. The freshmen dropped just seven games combined over four sets, with the latter completing her perfect weekend against Samantha Horwood on six.

Thursday’s hero at BYU put the Black and Gold within one as 98th-ranked Lincer took care of business in straight sets against Emma Kamper on court one, 6-2, 6-3. The sophomore’s fourth-consecutive win and 13th on the season continued the rampant Knights charge.

With Biolay, El Aouni and Bergler each holding set leads, it was a race to the clincher. A notable for anyone doing UCF trivia over the next decade, the freshman hailing from Poland, Olivia Bergler, put the finishing touches on the Knights’ Big 12 crown. The last of six in Black and Gold to win her first set, Bergler upped the tempo in the second to take down Emma Valletta on court five, 7-5, 6-3.

Picked to finish third in the preseason poll, UCF paired dominating home form with multiple gritty victories on the road to secure the momentous moment. While Oklahoma State and Texas Tech can join the Knights with wins tomorrow, there’s plenty more to come for Koniecko and his squad.

UP NEXT

Securing at least a top-two seed in the Big 12 Tournament, the Knights will commence action in the quarterfinals on Friday, April 18, at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.

Singles Results

  1. #98 Olivia Lincer (UCF) def. Emma Kamper (UTAH) 6-2, 6-3
  2. #100 Sophia Biolay (UCF) vs. Sara Akid (UTAH) 6-2, 5-5, unfinished
  3. Aya El Aouni (UCF) vs. Kaila Barksdale (UTAH) 6-1, 6-6, unfinished
  4. Olivia Bergler (UCF) def. Emma Valletta (UTAH) 7-5, 6-3
  5. Jade Psonka (UCF) def.  Hayley Roberts (UTAH) 6-2, 6-1
  6. Hannah Rylatt (UCF) def. Samantha Horwood (UTAH) 6-3, 6-1

Doubles Results

  1. Sara Akid/Emma Valletta (UTAH) def. #22 Olivia Lincer/Hannah Rylatt (UCF) 6-4
  2. Sophia Biolay/Aya El Aouni (UCF) def. Emma Kamper/Hayley Roberts (UTAH) 6-0
  3. Samantha Horwood/Dylan Lolofie (UTAH) def. Olivia Bergler/Jade Psonka (UCF) 7-6(3)