The Baylor women’s tennis team (2-0) played its way to a dual-match doubleheader sweep, picking up wins over UTRGV (1-1) and McNeese State (1-2) on Sunday afternoon inside the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
The Lady Bears bested both the Vaqueros and the Cowgirls, 4-0.
MATCH ONE
Baylor made quick work of UTRGV in doubles play and never looked back en route to a 4-0 shutout to kick off the double-header.
Freshman duo Angelina Shakhraichuk and Jessica Hinojosa started if off with a 6-2 win over Marine Darzyan and Chloe Leclere at the No. 2 position, before senior Rhiann Newborn and freshman Jazzi Plews secured the point for Baylor with a 6-2 victory against Dominique Ibarra and Amanda Guardia at the No. 3 slot.
The Lady Bears continued their dominant play in singles action. Shakhriachuk, who joined Baylor’s squad in January, played her way to the first dual-match victory of her career at No. 5 singles, toppling Leclere in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. Newborn followed with a strong, 6-0, 6-2, effort against Dominique Esparza for the team’s second win at No. 1 singles.
Junior Theresa Van Zyl completed the shutout of UTRGV for Baylor, clinching the match with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over her No. 3 singles opponent Anastasia Belyaeva.
MATCH TWO
Following a short break, the Lady Bears picked up where they left off with another strong performance against McNeese State, 4-0.
Baylor earned the doubles point following another shutout by freshmen Jessica Hinojosa and Angelina Shakhraichuk, 6-0, against Hannah Brett and Charoline Erlandsson at the No. 2 position, and a win by senior Rhiann Newborn and freshman Jazzi Plews, 6-2, against Vivien Borbely and Stella Carra at No. 3.
In singles action, Newborn picked up her second win of the afternoon, 6-1, 6-1, for a Baylor point in the No. 1 slot. She competed against Giovanna Fioretti, avenging her 6-4, 6-3 loss from a season ago. Shakhraichuk posted the second point at the No. 5 position, registering a 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Erlandsson.
Providing the clincher for the second time was junior Theresa Van Zyl, 6-2, 6-1. Moving up to No. 2 singles for the second dual-match of the day, she knocked off Sarah Jurakova to secure the sweep for the Lady Bears.
OTHER NOTABLES
? Baylor has now won 13-straight dual-match season openers, and are 13-2 (.867) under head coach Joey Scrivano overall in dual-match season openers.
? The Lady Bears are 5-0 all-time against UTRVG after handing the Vaqueros their first loss of the dual-match season on Sunday.
? Baylor is 2-0 all-time against McNeese State, defeating the Cowgirls 4-3 last season and 4-0 on Sunday.
TOP QUOTES
“I really liked the way we competed today. I felt like our team was really focused and determined to show much they’ve improved. We’ve had this exact same matchup a year ago and we barely got out of it by the skin of our teeth. I challenged the team beforehand, especially the returners, to show how much growth they’ve had.” – Head coach Joey Scrivano
“I’m really proud of our returners. They’ve grown a lot in their trust of our system and have been playing the percentages and playing the right way. This sport is really challenging because if you have 10 different people looking at your game, you’re going to get 10 different opinions. For them to stay the course, buy in and be willing to change says so much about them as people.” – Head coach Joey Scrivano
“This is a team effort and I really like our freshmen. They are so coachable and are a pleasure to work with. Their future is really bright. They are going to be the foundation for the team to come and I appreciate how coachable they are.” – Head coach Joey Scrivano
WHAT’S NEXT
Baylor has two weeks of practice to prepare for its matchups against Oregon on Feb. 4 and Washington on Feb. 5. Both matches will be played at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center in Waco.
“Every practice is going to be the Super Bowl. Our ability to have success against Oregon and Washington is going to be directly correlated to the next two weeks of practice. If we practice with intensity and focus, and we continue to buy in to our system, I think we can compete and beat any team in the country.” – Head coach Joey Scrivano
