No. 21 Women's Tennis Wraps Up Three-Game Road Swing at Houston

ORLANDO – The No. 21 Women’s tennis team will wrap up its three-game road swing this weekend, taking on the No. 43 Houston Cougars on Saturday, March 28.

The match is set for 2 PM EST, taking place inside the Winston Tennis Facility.

LAST TIME OUT
The Knights split their weekend on the road, sweeping Iowa State, 4-0, last Friday before falling to then-No. 48 Kansas, 4-1, the following Sunday.

On Friday, the Knights quickly took control against Iowa State, securing the doubles point early. Lauren Seye and Olivia Bergler set the tone with a 6-4 win on court two, before Jantje Tilbuerger and Marina Gatell clinched the point with a 6-3 victory on court one.

UCF carried that momentum into singles play and made quick work of the Cyclones. Tilbuerger dominated on court two with a 6-2, 6-2 win, while Gatell and Vladislava Andreevskaya followed with straight-set victories to complete the sweep.

Sunday proved more challenging, as UCF got off to a slow start against Kansas and dropped the doubles point. Tilbuerger later shifted momentum with a comeback win on court two, 2-6, 6-1, 6-2, but the rally fell short, as the Jayhawks secured a 4-1 victory on their home indoor courts.

Tilbuerger’s win, however, extended her winning streak to 10, as she now holds an impressive 13-1 dual-match record, including a clean 7-0 in conference play. 

QUICK HITS

• Senior Jantje Tilbuerger has yet to drop a match on court two, this season owning an impressive 10-0 mark. In conference play, Tilbuerger is a clean 7-0 on court two and has clinched the match in four of the Knights' six conference victories so far. She now boasts a 13-1 dual-match record across the top three courts
• The squad went a perfect 6-0 against in-state opponents during non-conference play. It marks the best in-state record of any program this season and the strongest in-state showing of the Koniecko era.
• Jade Psonka has hit her stride on court six this season, anchoring the Knights’ backcourt with an impressive 10-2 record. She has also teamed up with Vladislava Andreevskaya on court three in doubles, forming a highly successful pairing with a 5-1 record. Their only loss came recently against Kansas.
• After earning her first conference clinch against Texas Tech on March 15, Marina Gatell has kept the momentum rolling, clinching the very next match against Iowa State for the Black and Gold. The freshman has tallied four clinches across dual-match play and owns a solid 9-2 record.

THE OPPONENT
Houston
In just their second season under head coach Katarina Adamoviv, the Cougars got off to their best start since the 1990 season, starting off on an 11-0 tear. The squad is coming off a historic weekend, earning its first-ever Big 12 road win over Iowa State in a hard-fought 4-3 battle last Sunday, March 22.

The Cougars are currently 13-4 overall and 4-4 in Big 12 play, with their four conference wins already surpassing their combined total from their first two seasons in the league. Senior Sophie Schouten has led the way for the Cougars ' breakthrough season, boasting a 12-1 dual-match record, only recently earning her first loss in the team’s match against then-No. 48 Kansas last Friday. 

History with Houston
All-Time: 7-3
Home: 2-1
Away: 2-1
Neutral: 3-1
Under Koniecko: 5-0
Last Match: April 5, 2025 (W, 4-0)