No. 24 Women's Tennis Falls, 4-1, to No. 18 UCLA in Opening Round of ITA Kickoff Weekend

BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 24 women’s tennis opened ITA Kickoff Weekend play on Saturday with a hard‑fought effort against No. 18 UCLA, ultimately falling 4-1 at the LSU Tennis Complex.

UCLA secured the early advantage, taking the doubles point with a swift 6-2, 6-3 wins on courts two and one, respectively. 

The Bruins carried their momentum into singles, striking quickly with straight‑set victories on courts five and two. Mayu Crossley topped Olivia Bergler 6-1, 6-0, while Bianca Fernandez added another UCLA point with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Lauren Seye.

Jantje Tilbuerger briefly gave UCF a lift on court four, earning a 6-4, 7-5 victory over Ahmani Guichard as the Knights worked to stay in contention, pushing two matches into third sets. 

On court six, Jade Psonka forced a decider after dropping the opening set, but Olvia Center held on for UCLA with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 result to seal the match. The remaining contests on courts one and three were left unfinished, with both UCF players locked in tight third‑set battles.

Freshman Marina Gatell kept No. 75 Kate Fakih locked into a tight battle on court three. After losing the opening set 3-6, Gatell took the second set in a tight 7(7)-6(3) tie break before the deciding set was left unfinished at 1-1.

Meanwhile, on court one, Daryna Shoshyna had surged ahead 3-0 in the third set after splitting the first two sets, winning 6-3 before falling 6-4, when play was halted and the match went unfinished.

UP NEXT
UCF will continue ITA Kickoff Weekend action on Sunday in Baton Rouge, taking on Marshal at 10 AM in the LSU Tennis Complex.

Doubles Results
1. Olivia Center/Kate Fakih (UCLA) def. Hannah Rylatt/Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) 6-3
2. Ahmani Guichard/A. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) def. Marina Gatell/Daryna Shoshyna (UCF) 6-2
3. Kayla Chung/Mayu Crossley (UCLA) vs. #50 Olivia Bergler/Lauren Seye (UCF) 5-4, unfinished

Singles Results
1. A. Lutkemeyer (UCLA) vs. Daryna Shoshyna (UCF) 3-6, 6-4, 3-0, unfinished
2. Mayu Crossley (UCLA) def. Olivia Bergler (UCF) 6-1, 6-1
3. #75 Kate Fakih (UCLA) vs. Marina Gatell (UCF) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 1-1, unfinished
4. Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) def. Ahmani Guichard (UCLA) 6-4, 7-5
5. Bianca Fernandez (UCLA) def. Lauren Seye (UCF) 6-0, 6-2
6. Olivia Center (UCLA) def. Jade Psonka (UCF) 6-1, 2-6, 6-4