Women's Tennis Concludes Competition at ITA Southeast Regionals

ORLANDO – The UCF women’s tennis team concluded its competition at the ITA Southeast Regionals on Sunday afternoon, with a standout performance from both of its doubles teams, who advanced all the way to the quarterfinal round, capping off a weekend of impressive first weekend of home play for the Knights.

Day 1 - Thursday, Oct. 16

Jade Psonka kicked off the weekend for the Black and Gold in Thursday morning’s qualifying round, where she made quick work of Georgia Southern’s Mackenzie Leopold with a dominant 6-1, 6-2 victory to advance to the tournament’s main draw.

Thursday Results

• Jade Psonka (UCF) def Mackenzie Leopold (Georgia Southern) 6-1, 6-2

Day 2 - Friday, Oct. 17

The Knights opened Friday’s action with doubles competition, where Psonka and Marina Gatell took the court in the round of 64 swiftly handing FGCU’s Anjali Kotecha and Sabrina Jaramillo an 8-3 loss to advance. In a quick turnaround, the duo secured another victory later that day, defeating Florida’s Valery Gynina and Lucie Pawlak 8-4 to move into the round of 16.

Meanwhile, Lauren Seye and Olivia Bergler began their doubles campaign after receiving a bye in the round of 64. The pair battled through a tightly contested match to earn a hard-fought 8-6 win over Mercer’s Marina De Diego Quinones and Sofiya Tsitavets, also punching their ticket to the round of 16.

The singles competition for the Knights was equally as successful with four of the five winning their respective matches to advance into the round 32. Senior leader, Jantje Tilbuerger set the tone with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 win over North Florida’s Isabel Oliveria. Bergler followed suit with an efficient 6-0, 6-4 victory over FIU’s Vittoria Baccino..

Gatell continued the trend taking down South Florida foe Charlotte Rudd 6-1, 6-3. Meanwhile Seye took a hard fought battle on her court after narrowly dropping the first set 6(2)-7(7) to Georgia Tech’s Olivia Carneiro, she bounced back to dominate the next two sets 6-4, 6-0. Jade Psonka rounded out singles play, ultimately falling to Georgia’s Emma Dong, 6-3, 6-1.

Friday Results

• Olivia Bergler (UCF) def Vittoria Baccino (FIU) 6-0, 6-4
• Emma Dong (UGA) def Jade Psonka (UCF) 6-3, 6-1
• Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) def Isabel Oliveira (UNF) 6-2, 6-2
• Marina Gatell (UCF) def Charlotte Rudd (USF) 6-1, 6-3
• Lauren Seye (UCF) def Olivia Carneiro (Georgia Tech) 6(2)-7(7), 6-4, 6-0
• Jade Psonka/Marina Gatell (UCF) def Anjali Kotecha/Sabrina Jaramillo (FGCU) 8-3
• Jade Psonka/Marina Gatell (UCF) def Valery Gynina/Lucie Pawlak (UF) 8-4
• Olivia Bergler/Lauren Seye (UCF) def Marina De Diego Quinones/Sofiya Tsitavets (Mercer) 8-6

Day 3 - Saturday, Oct. 18

Saturday brought tougher competition for the Black and Gold, starting with  Florida’s Gabia Paskauskas who came out victorious in the round of 32 match against Gatell 6-3, 6-2. Lauren Seye faced a formidable challenge as well in Georgia’s Anastasiia Gureva, the No. 9-ranked player in the nation, ultimately falling 6-0, 6-0.

Jantje Tilbuerger closed out the round on a high note, providing a much-needed spark for the Knights. In a tightly contested battle, she outlasted Georgia Southern’s Maria Paredes in straight sets, 7-5, 7(7)-6(3), to punch her ticket to the round of 16.

Having received a bye in the previous round, Bergler commenced round 16 play, eventually falling to Geogia’s Emma Dong in straight sets, 6-2, 6-0. Tilbeuerger was also bested by Georgia Tech’s Alejandra Cruz, 6-3, 6-2.

Saturday Results

• Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) def Maria Paredes (Georgia State) 7-5, 7(7)-6(3)
• Gabia Paskauskas (UF) def Marina Gatell (UCF) 6-3, 6-2
• Anastasiia Gureva (UGA) def Lauren Seye (UCF) 6-0, 6-0
• Emma Dong (UGA) def Olivia Bergler (UCF) 6-3, 6-0
• Alejandra Cruz (GT) def Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) 6-3, 6-2

 

Day 4 - Sunday, Oct. 19

Looking to rebound from Saturday’s challenging singles matches, the Knights returned to doubles play in the round of 16. Psonka and Gatell set the tone early, taking a swift 8-3 win over Kennesaw State’s Sofia Madrid and Ema Barianakova. Lauren Seye and Olivia Bergler followed with a gritty performance of their own, edging out Georgia’s Emma Dong and Deniz Dilek in a hard-fought 8(7)-7(3) victory to secure their spot in the quarterfinals.

Ultimately both pairs would fall in the quarterfinal round with Psonka and Gatell falling to Georgia’s Hayden Mulberry and Emily Deming (8-4) while Bergler and Seye fell to Florida 45th-ranked duo Xinyi Nong and Nikola Daubnerova (8(7)-7(0).

Sunday Results

• Jade Psonka/Marina Gatell (UCF) def Sofia Madrid/Ema Barianakova (KSU) 8-3
• Olivia Bergler/Lauren Seye (UCF) def Emma Dong/Deniz Dilek (UGA) 8(7)-7(3)
• Hayden Mulberry/Emily Deming (UGA) def Jade Psonka/Marina Gatell (UCF) 8-4
• Xinyi Nong/Nikola Daubnerova (UF) def Olivia Bergler/Lauren Seye (UCF) 8(7)-7(0)

UP NEXT

The Knights will be back in action Nov. 6-9 with select Knights traveling to Baton Rogue to compete in the ITA South Sectionals, while the remainder of the squad heads north to Jacksonville for the UNF Invite on those same dates.