ORLANDO - Headlined by Olivia Lincer taking home the Big 12 Player of the Year honor, five Knights claimed a total of eight conference awards, announced by the league office Wednesday afternoon.
After securing a share of the regular-season title along with advancing to the finals of the Big 12 Championships, head coach Bryan Koniecko’s squad was well represented among the conference’s best.
Lincer becomes the fourth player in program history to be named her league’s player of the year, joining former Knights Valeriya Zeleva (American: 2019, 2021), Veronica Widyadharma (A-Sun: 1997, 1998) and Emmanuelle Sauze (A-Sun, 2002). The sophomore becomes the first to secure the honor in the Big 12, a season removed from winning freshman of the year following a historic first year in Orlando.
Joined by Sophia Biolay and Aya El Aouni on the All-Big 12 First Team in singles, the Knights also placed a duo in the All-Big 12 First and Second Team in doubles, landing a pair on the All-Freshman team.
Below is a breakdown of each athlete and their honor(s):
OLIVIA LINCER | SO.
- Player of the Year
- All-Big 12 First Team Singles
- All-Big 12 First Team Doubles
Following up a Big 12 Freshman of the Year honor presented Lincer with a tall task ahead of the program’s second season in the conference, one that she was more than capable of. Lincer went 14-1 in singles duels, highlighted by a 9-1 record on court one through the majority of Big 12 play and the conference tournament.
With 4-3 clinch wins against the likes of BYU and Oklahoma State, with the latter coming after fending off four match points to send the Knights into the title match, Lincer was a consistent force in a UCF singles display that has amassed a 77-28 record through 25 contests this season.
She also solidified a place in the All-Big 12 First Team in doubles alongside freshman Hannah Rylatt, as the tandem had an 8-8 record while climbing to as high as 19th in the ITA rankings in 2025, tallying multiple top-20 wins on court one.
SOPHIA BIOLAY | SR.
- All-Big 12 First Team Singles
- All-Big 12 Second Team Doubles
A farewell campaign to remember for Biolay saw the French native lead the squad with a career-high 18 singles victories, boasting a 12-1 record on court three while constantly providing guidance to a young squad as they navigated through a historic season. Surpassing the century mark in singles and doubles triumphs at UCF, while her 14-match winning streak ranked second in program history, the French native went 3-0 across each of her Big 12 Championship duels.
While earning her second-consecutive first-team honor in singles, Biolay tallied her first-career all-conference doubles award alongside El Aouni. The tandem led UCF with 12 victories together, including a dominating 11-2 mark on court two, attaining a 10-match winning streak in the process.
AYA EL AOUNI | FR.
- All-Big 12 First Team Singles
- All-Big 12 Second Team Doubles
- All-Big 12 Freshman Team
Ranked as one of the highest newcomers in collegiate tennis by the ITA prior to the season, El Aouni lived up to the hype in emphatic fashion. Seeing playing time on both courts one and two, she attained a 12-4 record and multiple iconic wins in singles play, including a 4-3 clinching performance against reigning newcomer of the year Anastasiya Komar in a March tilt against Oklahoma State.
Her aforementioned partnership with Biolay provided UCF with a pillar in the middle of its doubles lineup. Her lone clinch of the season capped off a comeback triumph over No. 24 Florida State, taking her court-two bout to reverse the 3-0 deficit.
OLIVIA BERGLER | FR.
- All-Big 12 Freshman Team
Bergler’s growth throughout the 2025 season was evident, attaining a 10-2 record across the squad’s last 14 matches, boasting the second-most singles wins on the team with 17. The Polish native was consistent wherever her name was called, securing five or more wins on courts three through five.
In doubles, Bergler connected with fellow freshman Jade Psonka to claim Big 12 All-Tournament honors on court three, defeating duos from Oklahoma State and Texas Tech in the final two stages.
HANNAH RYLATT | FR.
- All-Big 12 First Team Doubles
The third freshman to secure conference honors, Rylatt was brilliant in both singles and doubles play, with her partnership alongside Lincer serving as the highlight. The English native 11-10 individually and 8-8 while playing with the Big 12 Player of the Year.
Full list of Big 12 awards and honors:
Women’s Awards
Player of the Year- Olivia Lincer, UCF
- Freshman of the Year- Rose Marie Nijkamp, Oklahoma State
- Newcomer of the Year- Na Dong, Baylor
- Scholar-Athlete of the Year- Tanvi Narendran, Arizona
- Coach of the Year- Adam Herendeen, Texas Tech
All-Big 12 First Team Singles
- Josie Usereau, Arizona
- Sara Svetac, Arizona State
- Emilija Tverijonaite, Arizona State
- Yujia (Bobo) Huang, BYU
Sophia Biolay, UCFAya El Aouni, UCFOlivia Lincer, UCF
- Gracie Mulville, Kansas
- Melisa Ercan, Oklahoma State
- Anastasiya Komar, Oklahoma State
- Rose Marie Nijkamp, Oklahoma State
- Yekaterina Dmitrichenko, Texas Tech
All-Big 12 First Team Doubles
- Cristina Tiglea/Luba Kostenko, Baylor
Olivia Lincer/Hannah Rylatt, UCF
- Heike Janse Van Vuuren/Gracie Mulville, Kansas
- Anastasiya Komar/Rose Marie Nijkamp, Oklahoma State
- Jade Otway/Isabel Pascual, TCU
- Avelina Sayfetdinova/Mariia Hlahola, Texas Tech
All-Big 12 Second Team Singles
- Midori Castillo-Meza, Arizona
- Na Dong, Baylor
- Luba Kostenko, Baylor
- Mila Stanojevic, Colorado
- Julia Camblor, Iowa State
- Anna Supapitch Kuearum, Iowa State
- Kyoka Kubo, Kansas
- Maralgoo Chogsomjav, Kansas State
- Gracie Epps, Oklahoma State
- Jade Otway, TCU
- Avelina Sayfetdinova, Texas Tech
- Emma Kamper, Utah
All-Big 12 Second Team Doubles
- Josie Usereau/Danielle Tuhten, Arizona
- Patricia Spaka/Lily Taylor, Arizona State
Sophia Biolay/Aya El Aouni, UCF
- Anna Supapitch Kuearum/Cristina Ramos Sierra, Iowa State
- Kylie Collins/Marcela Lopez, Oklahoma State
- Yekaterina Dmitrichenko/Hailey Murphy, Texas Tech
All-Big 12 Freshman Team
- Lily Taylor, Arizona State
Aya El Aouni, UCFOlivia Bergler, UCF
- Julia Camblor, Iowa State
- Melisa Ercan, Oklahoma State
- Rose Marie Nijkamp, Oklahoma State