2025 Women's Tennis Season Recap2025 Women's Tennis Season Recap
Edward Finan / UCF Athletics

2025 Women's Tennis Season Recap

Take a look back at the Knights' Big 12 title-winning campaign with insight from director of tennis and head coach Bryan Koniecko through key moments of the season

by Alex Clough

As one era comes to a close, another begins.

Ahead of the 2025 season, head coach Bryan Koniecko was striving to combine a tenured core with an exciting pack of freshmen. With room for growth after their inaugural Big 12 campaign, the Knights became more than a team throughout a remarkable season that included the first team Big 12 championship in UCF Athletics history.

With three Knights named to the All-Big 12 Singles First Team, a pair of tandems on the All-Big 12 Doubles Team and multiple newcomers on the All-Big 12 Freshman Team, Olivia Lincer claimed the prestigious Big 12 Player of the Year Award. Finishing the season 21st in the nation, there were plenty of important moments that highlighted the Knights' success.

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A YOUTH WAVE IN ORLANDO

Looking to rebound after a difficult inaugural season in the Big 12 Conference, Koniecko and assistant Francesca Di Lorenzo welcomed five freshmen into the fold. A difficult task for any program to be compiled with that many newcomers, many of the returning Knights would have to step into leadership roles.

Sophia Biolay and Jantje Tilbuerger were named captains, with the former being the lone senior on the roster. Biolay, a native of France, had been a key figure for UCF since 2022, bridging a pair of eras for Koniecko. Her fellow captain, Tilburger, was a constant feature for the Black and Gold in 2024 as a sophomore and provided experience in both singles and doubles. A pair of second-year Knights in reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year Olivia Lincer and mid-season signee Donatella Guarnieri also returned for anticipated campaigns.

One of the nation’s strongest freshmen classes, Aya El Aouni, Olivia Bergler, Jade Psonka, Hannah Rylatt and Caroline Noe each brought new strengths to the squad. El Aouni, ranked among the top 500 in the world WTA rankings, was tabbed the fifth-ranked newcomer by ITA prior to the season. Bergler joined fellow Polish nation Lincer after a strong junior career in Europe, while Psonka and Rylatt each showed promise with strong fall slates.

  • Senior: Sophia Biolay (France)
  • Junior: Jantje Tilbuerger (Germany), Donatella Guanrieri (Florida)
  • Sophomore: Olivia Lincer (Poland)
  • Freshman: Aya El Aouni (Morocco), Olivia Bergler (Poland), Jade Psonka (France), Hannah Rylatt (England), Carolina Noe (Texas)

It was almost helpful in a way, having this many freshmen, because we didn't have expectations. Our mindset was just about getting better and improving, learning college tennis, and how to be disciplined, especially for the newcomers. We had a group of players who looked forward to coming to practice every day, and everyone on our roster felt that way. That made the difference for us; they were happy to be around each other and were happy to learn.

Koniecko
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A RECORD-BREAKING START

The first test for the Knights in 2025 didn’t come on the court, but rather from Mother Nature. A season-opening weekend slate against Georgia Southern and Bethune-Cookman was altered to a singular contest against the Eagles indoors. With four freshmen in the lineup, each did their part in a dominating 6-1 UCF win.

With a cross-country trip to Los Angeles up next for the ITA Kickoff Weekend, Koniecko decided to pull his squad out of the regional due to the ongoing wildfires in California. The Knights scheduled a pair of last-minute duels with No. 24 Florida State in Orlando, before traveling to Fort Myers for a neutral site matchup with Columbia, who were also set to compete at UCLA before pulling out.

The first-ranked contest of the season, UCF fell in an early 3-0 hole, presenting the first formidable test against a strong opponent. An early sign of the mentality the Knights possessed throughout the season, the squad chipped away before Psonka capped off the remarkable victory on court four after two fellow freshmen propelled UCF back into the match. Traveling down south the next day, the Black and Gold took care of business against Columbia, 4-2.

Early results showed the progress that the Knights were striving for, reversing a difficult 2024 defeat against FIU with a brilliant display at home against the Panthers, 4-1. Three consecutive sweeps against South Florida, Stetson and Air Force secured UCF with its first 7-0 start in program history. Moreover, Koniecko became the winningest head coach after surpassing Gail Falkenberg’s (1991-98) 132-43 record.

It's definitely fun for the team to achieve these milestones, and it's motivation for the players. They want to continue to steer the ship in the right direction; those were fun things for them to say they were the first to do, and then eventually be like, well, what else can we do? We knew we had a team that could potentially compete with the Big 12, so it was really week-by-week asking themselves that question.

Koniecko
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RANKED WINS AT HOME AND AWAY

A blip against Florida Atlantic on the road followed by a non-conference finale triumph over Penn preceded a 13-match Big 12 slate. Hitting the road to open the new phase, the Knights defeated Kansas State convincingly before an anticipated matchup in Stillwater against No. 25 Oklahoma State. Originally ranked among the top five before the season, the Cowgirls were finally starting to hit form before welcoming UCF.

The duel lived up the expectations, soaring past the three-hour mark after a UCF doubles point that included two tiebreak victories was leveled out with Oklahoma State wins on the back three courts. Competing against the nation’s top newcomer, Melisa Ercan, on the court one, newly ranked El Aouni forced a third set decider. Breaking her counterpart late, the Moroccan prevailed to secure her squad their second ranked win of the season.

Tabbed the Big 12 Player of the Week for her efforts, the first Knight to garner the award in program history, UCF returned for its conference home opener against 15th-ranked Baylor. A contested contest led to a 3-2 Knights lead as attention turned towards the back two courts. Tilbuerger, competing just her fourth match of the season after battling through an injury, was competing alongside Bergler on court five.

In a rare moment in college tennis, the tandem clinched at the same time, each securing a defining win for the Knights in front of an amazing home crowd. In the span of a week, UCF had taken down the two teams ranked ahead of them in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll, putting them in a strong position to chase down the regular-season title.

That was the pivotal stretch, especially playing Oklahoma State on the road, which was its first match playing with its number one player. For us to beat them with that squad and for Aya to clinch the match at court one, it gave the team a lot of confidence and made them believe we could do this. Against Baylor, we came up in big moments when we needed them the most. That week was huge for us to remind the team we belong.

Koniecko
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THE PRIZE IS ON THE HORIZON

A four-match homestand was rounded out with three dominating wins against TCU, Iowa State and Kansas. Dropping just two points to their 12, the Knights’ lineup started to take a consistent shape. Lincer had solidified herself at the top of the lineup, playing her best tennis as the conference slate rolled around. El Aouni, now ranked among the top 100, continued to find results at two, preceding Biolay on three to form a formidable base for the squad.

Three freshmen filled in the back three courts, with Psonka taking four, Bergler finding her stride on five and Rylatt rounding out the lineup on six. Before making its second trip to the Midwest, UCF had lost just two matches on the front three courts, sweeping them in four of its last seven duels.

The Knights swept Colorado before being handed their first Big 12 defeat at Texas Tech, a back-and-forth duel that was heading towards a three-all decider before UCF lost its first match of the season on court two. After the weekend was said and done, UCF, Texas Tech and Oklahoma State each sat with one defeat.

With no tiebreak in the conference, UCF had five matches left to secure a piece of history. The Knights concluded their home campaign in dominating fashion, dropping just a point against Cincinnati before sweeping West Virginia and Houston. A perfect 13-0 record at the USTA National Campus highlighted the growth from a 4-7 mark in home contests the year prior.

Texas Tech was good for us as we had to have some tough conversations constructively. They were a little bit tougher than us when it was there for the taking, especially showing a bit more experience. It was good for the team to chase after something, and with our record at home, we knew at that point destiny was in our own hands.

Koniecko

CROWNING MOMENT IN UTAH

Their longest trip of the season, the Knights ventured to Utah for their conference-closing weekend. A pair of wins against BYU and the Utes would garner UCF Athletics its first team title in the Big 12. However, playing in such a competitive league, no match can be taken for granted.

Against the Cougars in Provo, the Knights stumbled in doubles before being taken to three-all, leaving court one as the decider. Lincer eventually prevailed in a three-set thriller to secure UCF a dramatic victory and, more importantly, just one win left in its quest for glory. A short trip into Salt Lake City to conclude the regular season awaited.

Unlike days prior, there would be no doubt within the Knights as they handled the Utes emphatically, securing a share of the Big 12 title. Bergler tallied the clinching point on court four before her teammates swarmed her, embracing as champions for the first time. A 12-1 record in conference play provided plenty of highs and the occasional low, though for a time consisting of so much youth, UCF handled the pressure down the stretch like veterans.

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BACKS AGAINST THE WALL IN WACO

UCF was named the two-seed heading into its second Big 12 Championship, making the trip to Waco for its first contest with BYU, a team that had recently taken the Knights down to the wire. Similar to their win in Provo, the Black and Gold began singles in a hole, needing to find quick momentum in singles. They did just that, taking the back four courts in straight sets, capped off by a clinch from Rylatt.

As if their regular-season contest wasn’t tight enough, UCF and Oklahoma State provided a match for the ages in the semifinals. Now ranked 17th in the nation, the Cowgirls joined the Knights in claiming a share of the regular season crown and were primed to give UCF a difficult time. Knowing doubles could be the decider, the Knights produced their best performance to date to grab the early lead. 

The team exchanged leads before court one became the focal point once again. This time, it was Lincer who was going back and forth with Ercan. In the third-set decider, she went down 4-1 before facing three match points down 5-4. In remarkable fashion, the sophomore continued to fend them off before pushing the duel into a tiebreak she would take to secure the Knights a spot in the finals.

While UCF battled throughout, Texas Tech prevailed in the title match. The weekend was still a pivotal moment for the program, announcing its place among the conference's best. Claiming the two-seed in the Raleigh regional, the Knights’ fifth NCAA Tournament appearance under Koniecko, UCF also took national-seeded NC State to the wire in the second round before exiting.

The postseason was very motivational for me, to remember all the things that we can continue to improve. We knew certain areas would be a struggle, especially with four freshmen in the lineup. A big reason for our success was the culture within our team; everyone was not only into tennis but also into being good people.

Koniecko
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