By Kasey McMillian
Reporter
Baylor’s No. 13 women’s tennis team collected a 4-3 win against No. 75 Kansas State on Sunday in Wamego, Kan.
The Lady Bears also defeated Kansas 4-3 on Saturday, receiving their second 4-3-match win of the weekend. Baylor has now maintained a 4-3 victory in four of its previous matches.
“It was another tough Big 12 match, and we are definitely growing as a team and finding a way to win,” said head coach Joey Scrivano in a press release. “Going through matches like this is going to be good for us in the long run.”
The Wildcats led 1-0 after receiving the doubles point. Baylor collected one doubles win from senior pair Sona Novakova and Diana Nakic over KSU’s Petra Chuda and Borau Ramos.
Baylor’s seniors Nina Secerbegovic, Novakova and Nakic, combined with freshman Ema Burgic, all made comeback wins in their singles matches.
Secerbegovic took Baylor’s first win, 6-0, 6-1, over K-State’s No. 83 Karla Bonacic, tieing it up 1-1. Novakova added another win, 6-2, 6-1, over the Wildcat’s Carli Wischhoff.
Kansas State’s Carmen Borau Ramos defeated Baylor’s Abby Stainback 6-1, 6-3 but then Baylor’s Ema Burgic took the victory over Marketa Trousilova 6-0, 6-1 to put Baylor in a leading position for the win.
Kansas State received the next singles match win, tying the game up and putting all the pressure on the last match between Baylor’s Nakic and the Wildcats’ Big 12 Player of the Year Petra Niedermayerova.
No. 13 Nakic started off behind in the match against No. 30 Niedermayerova, but they played neck and neck the entire match. Both received one set and in the third set were tied 5-5.
Nakic took the win by making a service break and a hold of serve resulting in a 7-5 set win and another Big 12 win for the Lady Bears.
“Diana (Nakic) came through and held off one of the best players in the league,” Scrivano said. “We’re really proud of the way this team is showing its toughness and character.”
Against Kansas, Baylor won its doubles point with pairs Burgic, Secerbegovic and Nakic, Novakova taking their matches. Then Novakova, Secerbegovic and Nakic took their singles matches to give Baylor the win Saturday.
Baylor will go up against 44th-ranked Oklahoma at 5 p.m. Friday and then against No. 42 Oklahoma State at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both matches are at Hurd Tennis Center.
