ORLANDO – Coming off one of the most historic seasons in program history, the UCF women’s tennis team opens the 2026 dual-match season ranked No. 24 nationally in the first Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings of the year, as announced Wednesday morning.
Under head coach Bryan Koniecko, the Knights are coming off a historic 2025 campaign that produced UCF Athletics’ first-ever Big 12 team championship, a No. 21 final national ranking, and the program’s fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in eight seasons.
Last season, the Knights finished 12-1 in Big 12 play, posted a perfect 13-0 home record, and recorded ranked wins over Florida State, Baylor, and Oklahoma State. UCF also advanced to the Big 12 Championship final as the No. 2 seed and earned an NCAA berth, pushing national seed NC State in the Raleigh Regional.
The Black and Gold are one of four Big 12 teams amongst the preseason top-25, joined by Oklahoma State (No.10), Texas Tech (No. 20), and Baylor (No. 25). The full Jan. 7 rankings can be seen below.
ITA PRESEASON POLL (Jan. 7, 2026)
| RANK | TEAM |
| 1 | Georgia |
| 2 | Texas A&M |
| 3 | North Carolina |
| 4 | Auburn |
| 5 | LSU |
| 6 | Oklahoma |
| 7 | Michigan |
| 8 | Duke |
| 9 | Stanford |
| 10 | Oklahoma State |
| 11 | NC State |
| 12 | Texas |
| 13 | Ohio State |
| 14 | Virginia |
| 15 | California |
| 16 | Tennessee |
| 17 | UCLA |
| 18 | Vanderbilt |
| 19 | USC |
| 20 | Texas Tech |
| 21 | Pepperdine |
| 22 | Washington |
| 23 | Florida |
| 24 | UCF |
| 25 | Baylor |
LOOKING AHEAD
Koniecko and his squad will look to build on last season’s success as they open the 2026 campaign at home on Jan. 18 with an exciting doubleheader. The Knights will first face longtime rival South Florida at noon, before closing the day against Bethune-Cookman at 4:30 p.m.
The Knights will officially begin Big 12 play with a duo of home matches, facing BYU on Thursday, Feb. 26, and Utah on Saturday, Feb. 28. You can view the full 2026 dual-match schedule here.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.
