TicketsCINCINNATI – The University of Cincinnati women's tennis team improved to 7-8 on the season after taking down Utah, 4-2, to claim its first Big 12 win of the season at the Trabert-Talbert Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon.
Graduate student Zeynep Erman sealed the deal, winning her match in straight sets, 7-5 (5), 6-4, improving to 8-4 in singles this season.
"I think this means a lot for us. We needed this win, and I think this is going to boost our confidence," Erman said after the match. "We are traveling next week, and it's always better to go somewhere with a win. I thought everyone did a great job today. It was very windy, making the conditions tricky. We haven't played outdoors at home in a while, and we did a great job. I'm very proud of the team."
The Bearcats took control early in doubles. Junior Rozalia Gruszczynska and sophomore Gabrielle Guenther fell behind 2-0 on court one before flipping the script and winning 6-2. Erman and senior Callie Flanagan locked down court three with a 6-3 win to secure the doubles point. The sophomore duo of Morgan Pyrz and Sakurako Watanabe were tied at 6-6 on court two when play was stopped.
In singles, Cincinnati won on three courts to clinch the match. Gruszczynska rolled to a 6-0, 6-4 straight-sets win – her first singles victory in conference play this season.
"It feels great to get the win today," Gruszczynska said. "It gives us the confidence that we need, and it was bound to happen. We were long overdue; we had a close match against Kansas State, and we were just waiting for that win."
Watanabe also notched a singles victory, winning 6-3, 6-4. She's now 7-2 in singles and grabbed her second conference win.
"We were bound to get a win," Watanabe said. "We have had two other matches that were very close, and today we were able to overcome that final step and win the match. We are on the road next week for two matches. It doesn't matter what their rankings are, if we trust in each other and have confidence, we can get it done next week."
The team is hungry for more as they look ahead to the rest of their conference schedule.
"I would say that we are better than what we think we are," Erman added. "Everyone has a great game here and we have a lot of fighters on our team. If we have enough confidence, there's no teams that we can't beat in this conference."
// UP NEXT:
The Bearcats head to the sunshine state to take on #17 UCF before heading to Texas to take on Houston Sunday afternoon. First serve against the Knights is set for Friday night at 6 p.m. ET. and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET against the Cougars.
// MATCH RESULTS
Cincinnati 4, Utah 2
March 22, 2025 | Cincinnati, OH | Trabert-Talbert Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Rozalia Gruszczynska/Gabrielle Guenther (UC) def. Emma Kamper/Hayley Roberts (UU), 6-2
2. Morgan Pyrz/Sakurako Watanabe (UC) vs. Sara Akid/Emma Valletta (UU), 6-6
3. Zeynep Erman/Callie Flanagan (UC) def. Samantha Horwood/Dylan Horwood (UU), 6-3
ORDER OF FINISH: 1,3
Singles
1. Zeynep Erman (UC) def. Emma Kamper (UU), 7-5 (5), 6-4
2. Rozalia Gruszczynska (UC) def. Sara Akid (UU), 6-0, 6-4
3. Kaila Barksdale (UU) def. Gabrielle Guenther (UC), 6-2, 6-1
4. Emma Valletta (UU) def. Milica Popovski (UC), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
5. Sakurako Watanabe (UC) def. Samantha Horwood (UU), 6-3, 6-4
6. Callie Flanagan (UC) vs. Dylan Lolofie (UU), 3-6, 6-4, 0-5 Unfinished
ORDER OF FINISH: 2,3,5,4,1
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's tennis, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWTEN on X and Instagram or on Facebook.
Graduate student Zeynep Erman sealed the deal, winning her match in straight sets, 7-5 (5), 6-4, improving to 8-4 in singles this season.
"I think this means a lot for us. We needed this win, and I think this is going to boost our confidence," Erman said after the match. "We are traveling next week, and it's always better to go somewhere with a win. I thought everyone did a great job today. It was very windy, making the conditions tricky. We haven't played outdoors at home in a while, and we did a great job. I'm very proud of the team."
The Bearcats took control early in doubles. Junior Rozalia Gruszczynska and sophomore Gabrielle Guenther fell behind 2-0 on court one before flipping the script and winning 6-2. Erman and senior Callie Flanagan locked down court three with a 6-3 win to secure the doubles point. The sophomore duo of Morgan Pyrz and Sakurako Watanabe were tied at 6-6 on court two when play was stopped.
In singles, Cincinnati won on three courts to clinch the match. Gruszczynska rolled to a 6-0, 6-4 straight-sets win – her first singles victory in conference play this season.
"It feels great to get the win today," Gruszczynska said. "It gives us the confidence that we need, and it was bound to happen. We were long overdue; we had a close match against Kansas State, and we were just waiting for that win."
Watanabe also notched a singles victory, winning 6-3, 6-4. She's now 7-2 in singles and grabbed her second conference win.
"We were bound to get a win," Watanabe said. "We have had two other matches that were very close, and today we were able to overcome that final step and win the match. We are on the road next week for two matches. It doesn't matter what their rankings are, if we trust in each other and have confidence, we can get it done next week."
The team is hungry for more as they look ahead to the rest of their conference schedule.
"I would say that we are better than what we think we are," Erman added. "Everyone has a great game here and we have a lot of fighters on our team. If we have enough confidence, there's no teams that we can't beat in this conference."
// UP NEXT:
The Bearcats head to the sunshine state to take on #17 UCF before heading to Texas to take on Houston Sunday afternoon. First serve against the Knights is set for Friday night at 6 p.m. ET. and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET against the Cougars.
// MATCH RESULTS
Cincinnati 4, Utah 2
March 22, 2025 | Cincinnati, OH | Trabert-Talbert Tennis Center
Doubles
1. Rozalia Gruszczynska/Gabrielle Guenther (UC) def. Emma Kamper/Hayley Roberts (UU), 6-2
2. Morgan Pyrz/Sakurako Watanabe (UC) vs. Sara Akid/Emma Valletta (UU), 6-6
3. Zeynep Erman/Callie Flanagan (UC) def. Samantha Horwood/Dylan Horwood (UU), 6-3
ORDER OF FINISH: 1,3
Singles
1. Zeynep Erman (UC) def. Emma Kamper (UU), 7-5 (5), 6-4
2. Rozalia Gruszczynska (UC) def. Sara Akid (UU), 6-0, 6-4
3. Kaila Barksdale (UU) def. Gabrielle Guenther (UC), 6-2, 6-1
4. Emma Valletta (UU) def. Milica Popovski (UC), 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
5. Sakurako Watanabe (UC) def. Samantha Horwood (UU), 6-3, 6-4
6. Callie Flanagan (UC) vs. Dylan Lolofie (UU), 3-6, 6-4, 0-5 Unfinished
ORDER OF FINISH: 2,3,5,4,1
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's tennis, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWTEN on X and Instagram or on Facebook.