ORLANDO - Big 12 tennis returns to the USTA National Campus this weekend as the No. 23 UCF women’s tennis team gears up to face No. 15 Baylor and No. 40 TCU.
The Knights (10-1) will strive to protect its flawless 6-0 record at home this season, starting with the Bears at 6 p.m. on Friday before they meet the Horned Frogs at noon on Sunday. UCF already boasts a 2-0 record in conference play this season.
LAST TIME OUT
The Knights kicked off their 2025 Big 12 campaign on the road last Friday against No. 73 Kansas State in a hard-fought 4-1 victory at the Mike Goss Tennis Stadium. UCF snatched the doubles point with tiebreak triumphs on courts one and two against the Wildcats. Kansas State leveled the match on court four to open singles play, but the Black and Gold were quick to respond, winning straight sets for the rest of the match to deliver their first conference win of the season.
The Knights only stepped harder on the gas in their following match against conference favorites Oklahoma State. The nearly four-hour thriller saw UCF claim the vital doubles point across a pair of tiebreaks before a chaotic stalemate in singles play. Both sides took three courts each, with court two serving as a stage for Olivia Lincer to upset No. 88 Anastasiya Komar in a sensational series of play, 7-6 (10-8), 6-3. UCF now sits on a 10-1 record this season after the intense win at the Greenwood Tennis Center.
Match on the line, we want AYA EL AOUNI 😤
— UCF Women's Tennis (@UCF_WTennis) March 2, 2025
The freshman clinches it 🎥 pic.twitter.com/Gs5t1mPxJo
QUICK HITS
- Aya El Aouni cemented herself as the first player in program history to be crowned Big 12 player of the week on Tuesday. The freshman played a crucial role in lifting the Knights past the Cowgirls, securing the doubles point alongside Sophia Biolay and firing her way to a clincher on court one against Melisa Ercan, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. El Aouni has yet to taste defeat this season in singles play with an 8-0 record.
- UCF returned to the top 25 in the latest ITA rankings after getting the best of Oklahoma State. The Knights are now ranked 23rd in the nation with their sights set on climbing past their season best of No. 20.
- Olivia Lincer needed no time getting back up to speed in her return for the Black and Gold. The sophomore claimed court two against Kansas State and Oklahoma State in straight sets after spending two matches out.
The freshman keeps making history‼️
— UCF Women's Tennis (@UCF_WTennis) March 4, 2025
Aya becomes the first Knight to garner @Big12Conference Player of the Week honors ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/B8X01Am0Ew
THE OPPONENTS
BAYLOR
The Bears will arrive in Orlando on a nine-game win streak, only allowing nine points in that stretch. Their only loss was handed to them by No.12 Texas in the second round of the ITF Kickoff Weekend after a court-two loss in the third set tiebreak ended the match, 3-4.
TCU
The Horned Frogs have shown a relentless form in their last three games, sweeping their opponents 4-0 in each match. Their 7-3 record includes a win against No. 45 Washington State that went down to the wire, 4-3.
The last time the Knights faced TCU ended in a 4-3 victory away from home for UCF last year. Among the line up was Biolay and Lincer, who will hope to make another big impact against the Frogs this time around.