The opening point came swiftly thanks to a pair of decisive wins. On court three, Jade Psonka and Donatella Guarnieri overwhelmed West Virginia’s Lyla Byers and Sosanne Malaak, 6-1, giving UCF the early spark it needed. Moments later, Olivia Bergler and Lauren Seye closed out a steady 6-3 victory on court two, locking up the doubles, to give the Knights a 1-0 boost headed into singles.
At the top of the lineup, Jantje Tilbuerger delivered one of the day’s most dominant efforts, rolling to a 6-1, 6-2 win that doubled UCF’s advantage. Marina Gatell followed with a poised performance on court three, controlling the first set, 6-2, before holding off a late push for a, 7-5 victory that put the Knights within a point of the title.
The Mountaineers refused to fold, though, battling back with wins on courts four and six to tighten the match and shift the pressure squarely onto UCF.
But the pressure proved to be nothing for Psonka. Delivering her third straight clincher, she edged a tense first set in a tiebreak before settling in and taking control of the second to close out a 7(7)-6(2), 6-4 victory on court five—sealing both the match and the Big 12 crown for the Knights.
Bergler’s match on court two was left unfinished deep in the third set, but by then the celebration had already begun. For the first time in UCF Athletics history, the women’s tennis team brought back its second-straight conference title.
Picked to finish second in the Big 12 preseason poll, the Knights lived up to the hype, and then some, battling through injuries, an undefeated home season, and a demanding road slate to rise to the top of the conference. UCF closes the regular season at 18-3 overall and 11-2 in league play, firmly cementing its place atop the Big 12 standings.
