No. 20 Women's Tennis Advances to Big 12 Championship Match with 4-2 Win Over ArizonaNo. 20 Women's Tennis Advances to Big 12 Championship Match with 4-2 Win Over Arizona

No. 20 Women's Tennis Advances to Big 12 Championship Match with 4-2 Win Over Arizona

by Ainsley Keaveny
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ORLANDO – The No. 20 UCF women's tennis team has advanced to the Big 12 Championship after an action-packed 4-2 victory over four-seed Arizona in the semifinal on Friday April, 17, at the USTA National Campus.

Fresh off a quarterfinal win over nine-seed BYU the night before, the first-seed Knights returned to their home courts with momentum and extended their home streak to 22 matches despite dropping the doubles point for just the sixth time this season.

Arizona struck first in doubles action, wrapping up the point quickly with wins on courts two and three. Meanwhile, Jantje Tillbuerger and Marina Gatell were locked in a tight battle on court one that went unfinished.

Trailing, 1-0, UCF responded with resilience in singles play. Arizona extended its lead 2-0 after taking the first singles point against Jade Psonka, 6-4, 6-2, but Olivia Bergler ignited the Knights’ comeback with a strong 6-4, 6-2 win on court two. 

Marina Gatell, who clinched the match against BYU the night before, followed on court three with a decisive 6-4, 6-3 victory to even the match 2-2. With momentum fully on their side, the Knights surged ahead as Lauren Seye captured court six, 6-3, 6-4, giving UCF the lead.

All eyes shifted to court one and four for the match to finish out. Senior captain and No.115-ranked Jantje Tillbuerger rose to the moment on court one, battling through three sets to secure the clinching point with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win, sending the Knights to the championship match for the second straight season. Vladislava Andreevskaya's match on court four went unfinished (7-5, 3-6, 2-5) as the team celebrated the milestone victory together.

After a 4-2 loss to Texas Tech in last year’s Big 12 Championship final, the Knights return with another shot at the title, aiming to rewrite the ending in hopes of capturing the program's very first Championship Title at the tournament.

UP NEXT
The Knights will face No. 23 TCU in the Big 12 Championship final Saturday, April 18, at 6 P.M at the USTA National Campus. The Horned Frogs are one of the few conference opponents the Black and Gold have not faced during the 2026 season.

SINGLES RESULTS

  1.  #115 Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) def. Martyna Ostrzygalo (UA) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
  2. Olivia Bergler (UCF) def. Josie Usereau (UA) 6-2, 6-4
  3. Marina Gatell (UCF) def. Ciara Moore (UA) 6-4, 6-3
  4. V. Andreevskaya (UCF) vs. Tanvi Narendran (UA) 7-5, 3-6, 2-5, unfinished
  5. Maria Garcia (UA) def. Jade Psonka (UCF) 6-4, 6-2
  6. Lauren Seye (UCF) def. Zoya Chulak (UA) 6-3, 6-4

DOUBLES RESULTS

  1.  Marina Gatell/Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF) vs. Ciara Moore/Zoya Chulak (UA) 3-3, unfinished
  2. Maria Garcia/Josie Usereau (UA) def. Olivia Bergler/Lauren Seye (UCF) 6-3
  3. Martyna Ostrzygalo/Tanvi Narendran (UA) def. Jade Psonka/Donatella Guarnieri (UCF) 6-1