JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Although play concluded early due to inclement weather, the UCF women’s tennis team delivered another strong performance at the annual Bedford Cup, highlighted by Olivia Bergler earning the tournament’s prestigious Sportsmanship Award.
Day 1 - Friday, Oct. 3
The Black and Gold commenced the morning with doubles competition, as Jade Psonka and Lauren Seye represented the Knights on court. Although the pair fell 6-4 to Florida’s Nikola Daubnerova and Xinyi Nong, the Knights responded with a stronger showing in singles play later in the day.
Seye dominated her only singles matchup of the day, defeating USF player Josefine Falster 6-2, 6-3. Psonka lost her first singles match of the day, falling 6-3, 6-3 to Steton’s Anastasija Adeikyte. However, she would bounce back, taking down Miami’s Daria Volosova in a hard-fought three sets to conclude her day (4-6, 6-2, 10-4).
Sophomore Vladislava Andreevskaya carried over her dominant form from the Knights’ last fall outing at the Big 12 Individuals, defeating both of her Miami opponents. She edged out Maria Vargas in a tight match, 1-6, 77-64, 10-7, and followed up with a straight-sets win over Lucia Cassidy, 7-5, 6-3.
Similarly, freshman Marina Gatell secured wins across the board, first defeating FIU’s Katerina Mandelikova 6-3, 77-65, then taking down Gator foe Lucie Pawlak 6-2, 77-65. Although Bergler dropped her opening match to Laurie Barendse, 6-4, 6-3, she responded with a gritty win over FIU’s Vittoria Baccino to close out the first day, 4-6, 6-3, 10-4.
