The Baylor women’s tennis team defeated Rice, 4-3, at Hurd Tennis Center on Saturday afternoon to remain perfect on the season, 5-0. For the second-straight dual match, freshman Angelina Shakhraichuk clinched the victory for the Lady Bears.
The undefeated Lady Bears dropped the doubles point, despite a strong 6-4 victory by No. 3 duo
Elizabeth Profit and Theresa Van Zyl over Savannah Durkin and Katherine Ip. No. 50-ranked pair Wendy Zhang and Lindsey Hodge outlasted Blair Shankle and Shakhraichuk, 6-2, who were paired together for the first time. Alison Ho and Priya Niezgoda edged Rhiann Newborn and Jessica Hinojosa, 7-6, to give their team an early, 1-0, advantage.
Unfazed by the Owls’ quick first point, Baylor stormed back to win four consecutive singles matches and secure the team result, 4-3.
Shankle, who is ranked No. 9 nationally, defeated Zhang, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 1 spot to even the score, 1-1. Newborn continued to swing the momentum toward the Lady Bears, providing a 2-1 edge with a two-set victory over Hodge, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 2 singles.
A pair of freshmen completed the comeback for Baylor. Hinojosa’s 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Savannah Durkin at No. 6 singles brought her squad one result away from its fifth consecutive win, then Shakhraichuk came through in another pressure situation, besting Alison Ho in three sets, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, to seal the victory for Baylor in the second-straight dual match.
OTHER NOTABLES
? Baylor is off to a 5-0 start to dual match play for the first time since 2015 and the fourth time under head coach Joey Scrivano (2012, 2014, 2015, 2017).
? Freshman Angelina Shakhraichuk has decided the match outcome in back-to-back dual matches, while junior Theresa Van Zyl clinched the first three duals of the season.
? Seniors Blair Shankle (3-0) and Rhiann Newborn (5-0) are undefeated in singles play this season.
TOP QUOTES
“This was a big win today. Rice came out really strong and they jumped all over us in the doubles, but I’m really proud of my team. They hung in there, didn’t panic and went back to work in singles. They gutted out a tough win.” - Head Coach Joey Scrivano
“Wins like these take a lot of mental toughness. I know our team is gaining a lot of confidence in that area; they’re getting tougher each week. They’re learning how to handle difficult situations. Most teams, when they lose the doubles point, panic and go away. We’re getting stronger as the match progresses, so I’m proud of our team’s effort.” -Head Coach Joey Scrivano
“We have to recover right now. We’ll enjoy this win today, recover and get ready for Northwestern. That’s going to be a tough match, it’s our first road match, so we’ll be preparing specifically for that.” - Head Coach Joey Scrivano
WHAT’S NEXT
The Lady Bears travel to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern on Feb. 17, 2017. The match is set to begin at 5 p.m. (CT).
