Tiger Rag News Services
Freshman Olaf Pieczkowski posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over No. 64 Yassine Dlimi to clinch the match for No. 17 LSU over No. 9 UCF, 4-0, in their final match of the ITA National Indoor Championships.
With today’s win over No. 9 UCF and yesterday’s takedown over No. 8 Texas A&M, this is the first time since 2006 that LSU has logged back-to-back wins over top-10 teams. Current head coach Danny Bryan, who was ranked No. 14 in doubles alongside partner Colt Gaston at the time, was a member of that team and earned singles and doubles victories against No. 8 Florida and No. 8 Ole Miss, helping the Tigers secure back-to-back 4-3 wins in both matches.
LSU improves to 9-1 on the season, while UCF falls to 9-2.
“The doubles point was a large improvement from yesterday,” said associate head coach Justin Butsch. “We corrected the mistake of coming out flat today, bringing energy. It was good to have Andrej [Loncarevic] back in doubles with Sasa [Markovic]. They got off to a quick start with a double break and then rolled on from there. The other two courts played well – Enzo [Kohlmann] and Rudy [Ceccon] have done well when they play together.”
When asked about the past weekend, Butsch added, “This was a large success. We didn’t have our full lineup of players, but we hung in there against one of the best teams in the nation, TCU. We built off that confidence for the next two matches with two great top-10 wins. Today was our best match of the year. The guys were ready for a fight on all six courts and responded well. I’m excited moving forward.”
Rudy Ceccon and Enzo Kohlmann returned to where they began the season, at the third doubles spot. Matched up against Luca Hotze and Nicolas Oliveira, each team held its serve in the first five games. The sophomore-junior pair surged ahead with the first break of the set to make it 4-2, then took the final two games to complete the four-game run. The 6-2 victory put the Tigers in striking distance of claiming the doubles point.
Andrej Loncarevic re-entered the lineup alongside Sasa Markovic, both of whom made their return to the top spot. Without skipping a beat, LSU stormed to a 4-0 lead over Dlimi and Paul Colin. The Knights were able to get on the board, but couldn’t overpower the pair of sophomores’ unbreakable serve. Each team split the next four games; the Tigers put the set away, 6-2. LSU got back to its winning ways in doubles, taking the lead over UCF, 1-0.
No. 110 Arutiunian, seeking to build on his momentum from the previous win, matched up against No. 108 Wissam Abderrahman at the second spot. He fell to an early disadvantage, giving up a break in the opening game. Arutiunian was forced to dig himself out of a 1-3 hole. He gathered himself, stealing a break back to even the set at three games apiece. The Belarus native proceeded to claim the next three games, completing the five-game run to wrap the opening set 6-3. The next set began 1-1 before Arutiunian notched yet another break to propel him to a 3-1 lead. On a roll, the two-game cushion proved enough to close it out, holding the rest of his service games to end it 6-4. LSU led UCF, 2-0.
Ponce de Leon carried over the momentum from his match yesterday, jumping out to a 3-0 lead over Pedro Rodrigues on court four. The Brazilian native responded by taking back-to-back games, but Ponce de Leon answered immediately, earning the break back to restore a 4-2 advantage. He closed out the opening set in dominant fashion, claiming the final two games to win 6-2. The second set opened in a tighter battle, but Ponce de Leon quickly separated himself, notching a break to take a 3-1 lead. From there, he remained steady on serve to seal the match 6-4, extending his singles win streak to five and improving his overall record to 7-2. LSU held a 3-0 lead over UCF, a point away from completing the shutout.
Pieczkowski faced off against No. 64 Dlimi on the top court and struck first, earning an early break to jump out to a 2-0 lead. Dlimi attempted to claw back into the set, but Pieczkowski maintained his composure, holding steady through a series of tight games before pulling away late to take the opener 6-3. The second set proved more competitive, with both players trading holds early, but Pieczkowski found another gear down the stretch. Knowing the match clincher was on the table, he rattled off a key run to create separation and close out the match with a second straight 6-3 set.
LSU vs UCF
02/15/2026 at Waco, Texas
Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center
#17 LSU 4, #9 UCF 0
Singles competition
1. Olaf Pieczkowski (LSU) def. No. 64 Yassine Dlimi (UCF) 6-3, 6-3
2. #110 Erik Arutiunian (LSU) def. No. 108 Wissam Abderrahman (UCF) 6-3, 6-4
3. Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) vs. Enzo Kohlmann (LSU) 6-3, 3-6, unfinished
4. Matias Ponce De Leon (LSU) def. Pedro Rodrigues (UCF) 6-2, 6-3
5. Sasa Markovic (LSU) vs. Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) 6-3, 6-6 (7-6), unfinished
6. Rudy Ceccon (LSU) vs. Clement Lemire (UCF) 6-2, 3-6, 1-1, unfinished
Doubles competition
1. Andrej Loncarevic and Sasa Markovic (LSU) def. Paul Colin and Yassine Dlimi (UCF) 6-2
2. No. 81 Erik Arutiunian and Matias Ponce de Leon (LSU) vs. Wissam Abderrahman and Mehdi Benchakroun (UCF) 5-3, unfinished
3. Rudy Ceccon/Enzo Kohlmann (LSU) def. Luca Hotze and Nicolas Oliveira (UCF) 6-2
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