Houston tennis rebounds after UCF loss with sweep of Missouri State 

Over the weekend, No. 41 Houston tennis hosted two matches on Friday and Saturday, against No. 21 UCF and Missouri State at the Barbara Wallace Tennis Facility. Houston sought to sustain its progress after winning a road match against Iowa State the previous Sunday. 

The matchup against UCF, 14-3, 7-2 Big 12, proved challenging for Houston, 14-4, 4-5 Big 12, as the Knights secured a 4-1 victory.

UCF took control early in doubles play. Sophomore Olivia Bergler and freshman Lauren Seye defeated junior pair Iva Sepa and Valeriia Krokhotina, 6-1, on court two. Sophomores Jade Psnoka and Vladislava Andreevskaya followed with a 6-1 win over juniors Elizaveta Morozova and Petja Drame on court three to clinch the doubles point. Court one went unfinished.

The Cougars were looking to make a comeback in the singles round and were momentarily successful when senior Sophie Schouten bested Seye 6-3, 6-2, signifying her 13th singles victory of the season. 

However, the Knights secured wins on courts one, two and three to close out the match. Bergler defeated senior Chems Doha Zeghlouli, 6-4, 7-5, on court two. Senior Jantje Tilbuerger followed with a 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 win over Morozova on court one. Freshman Marina Gatell clinched the match on court three, defeating Sepa, 6-3, 0-6, 6-2.

Houston comes back to sweep Missouri State

On Sunday, March 29, Houston showcased its skill set and secured a home win with a sweep of Missouri State. With the final score being 4-0 in favor of the Cougars, Houston proved to be unrelenting in both the singles and doubles rounds. 

Senior pair Schouten and Zeghlouli won 6-1 on court one over Billur Gonlusen and Lucy Latham. Court two was left unfinished after Sepa and Krokhotina bested Leni Eichner and Leticia Caldararo 6-1 on court three. 

Houston breezed through the singles round, with three unfinished matches on courts two, three, and four. 

Drame set the tone for Houston when she defeated Elise Jackson 6-0, 6-1, followed by fellow Cougar Morozova, who also won 6-0, 6-1 over Latham. Gabriela Cortes concluded the match when she got the best of Caldararo 6-1, 6-0. 

What’s Next?

Houston will host a match against Oklahoma State University on April 3 at the Barbara Wallace Tennis Facility. This match marks the start of an upcoming series of Big 12 matches for the Cougars as they head into the final stretch of their spring season.