No. 17 Women's Tennis Ventures West for Matches at Colorado and No. 14 Texas TechNo. 17 Women's Tennis Ventures West for Matches at Colorado and No. 14 Texas Tech

No. 17 Women's Tennis Ventures West for Matches at Colorado and No. 14 Texas Tech

by Alex Clough

ORLANDO - Nearing the halfway mark on an exciting conference slate, the No. 17 UCF women’s tennis team will strive to keep their immaculate record intact. The Knights will embark on their second Big 12 road trip, first making the trip to Colorado, before an anticipated meeting with No. 14 Texas Tech in Lubbock.

Another weekend sweep in Orlando against No. 52 Iowa State and No. 40 Kansas propelled UCF (14-1, 6-0) into first place in the conference. While the Buffaloes (6-8, 0-6) are without a win in Big 12 play, the No. 14 Red Raiders (12-2, 5-1) remain the only team ranked ahead of the Knights in the ITA Index.

LAST TIME OUT

The Black and Gold tallied their fourth sweep of the season last Friday against the Cyclones, swiftly taking the doubles point before freshman Hannah Rylatt tallied her first-career clinch on court six. While Sunday’s bout against the Jayhawks saw the Knights drop doubles for the first time in six contests, another addition to the front-three domination that has been a pillar to the squad’s hot start left no room for Kansas to capitalize on their early advantage. 

Olivia Lincer, Aya El Aouni and Sophia Biolay each took their matches in straight sets, outscoring the opposition 36-17. Olivia Bergler also provided support on court five as the freshman tallied her first perfect weekend in conference play.

QUICK HITS

  • The Knights remained No. 17 in the latest ITA rankings, marking the first time since February 2023 that UCF has tallied back-to-back top-20 rankings. One of three teams in the top 25 and one of seven in the top 40 in the Big 12, the Knight currently has just one bout against those teams remaining (Texas Tech).
  • UCF has outscored opponents 25-8 through six conference matches, the squad has moved to an eye-catching 14-1, marking the best 15-match start under head coach Bryan Koniecko, while matching the 2002 team who went 22-2.
  • The three Knights who lead the squad’s singles display each secured rankings this weekend, with Biolay (85), Lincer (110) and El Aouni (119) boasting a combined 14-1 record throughout conference play,
  • Overall, UCF’s 34-2 singles records on courts one through three stand as one of the best in the nation. On court two specifically, the Knights have yet to lose a match, winning 13 of 15 matches.

THE OPPONENTS

Colorado - Friday at 4 p.m. ET

The Buffs will be looking to snag their first Big 12 win against the Knights, as an impressive 6-2 non-conference record has been blemished by six-consecutive defeats in conference bouts. Having not been swept, however, Colorado had consistently pushed teams to the final court, falling in 4-3 matches to BYU, Iowa State and Utah.

With no ranked players in singles, it does offer the No. 45 tandem of Anya Nelson and Ema Bubalo, who hold a 3-2 record on court one and 16-3 record overall.

No. 14 Texas Tech - Sunday at 1 p.m. ET

The lone team ranked ahead of the Knights, the Red Raiders jumped out to a 4-0 record in Big 12 play before falling to TCU, 4-2, in Fort Worth. Texas Tech responded resoundingly against No. 20 Baylor on the road, 4-2, to remain second in the conference.

Similar to Colorado, the Red Raiders don’t have any players among the top 120 in singles. The fourth-ranked Avelina Sayfetdinova and Mariia Hlahola lead the squad in doubles, the squad as a whole has dropped the opening point in just two matches this season.