SALT LAKE CITY —The University of Utah women's tennis team dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 20 UCF on Saturday afternoon at the George S. Eccles Tennis Center. With the loss, the Utes move to 8-14 overall and 3-10 in Big 12 play.
The Utes grabbed an early edge in doubles play. After the Knights picked up a win on court two, Sara Akid and Emma Valletta responded with a 6-4 victory on the top court over No. 22-ranked duo Olivia Lincer and Hannah Rylatt. Samantha Horwood and Dylan Lolofie then sealed the doubles point on court three, earning a hard-fought 7-6(3) tiebreak win over Olivia Bergler and Jade Psonka.
In singles, Utah couldn't maintain the early momentum despite a strong start from Kamper, who opened her match against No. 98 Olivia Lincer with a competitive first set but ultimately fell in straight sets on court one. The Knights extended their lead with wins at No. 6 and No. 5 before clinching the match on court four.
Two matches went unfinished. Sara Akid had bounced back after dropping the first set and was tied 5-5 in the second on court two. On court three, Kaila Barksdale was engaged in a second-set tiebreak after dropping the first.
NEXT UP The Utes will next head to Waco, Texas, for the Big 12 Conference Tournament April 16-20.
UTAH 1, UCF 4 DOUBLES DRAWS 1 Sara Akid and Emma Valletta (UU) def. No. 22 Olivia Lincer and Hannah Rylatt (UCF) 6-4 2 Sophia Biolay and Aya El Aouni (UCF) def. Emma Kamper and Hayley Roberts (UU) 6-0 3 Samantha Horwood and Dylan Lolofie (UU) def. Olivia Bergler and Jade Psonka (UCF) 7-6(3) Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
SINGLES DRAWS 1 No. 98 Olivia Lincer (UCF) def. Emma Kamper (UU) 6-2, 6-3 2 Sara Akid (UU) vs. No. 100 Sophia Biolay (UCF) match was unfinished 2-6, 5-5 3 Kaila Barksdale (UU) vs. Aya El Aouni (UCF) match was unfinished 1-6, 6-6(5-4) 4 Olivia Bergler (UCF) def. Emma Valletta (UU) 7-5, 6-3 5 Jade Psonka (UCF) def. Hayley Roberts (UU) 6-2, 6-1 6 Hannah Rylatt (UCF) def. Samantha Horwood (UU) 6-3, 6-1 Order of finish: 6, 5, 1, 4
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