Isaac Dovalina | Round Up Photographer
By Kasey McMillian
Reporter
Conference officials announced Baylor’s women’s tennis player Nina Secerbegovic as the Big 12 Player of the Week on Monday.
Senior Secerbegovic has had three consecutive 4-3 singles wins in the last week against No. 22 Clemson, Kansas, and No. 75 Kansas State.
Her repetitive 3-0 victories in singles made Secerbegovic the perfect candidate for the award after playing an important role towards the Lady Bears previous Big 12 wins.
On March 20, Secerbegovic paired up with freshman Ema Burgic in doubles and together they are currently ranked No. 46 and have a 4-1 record. The Bear’s duo defeated the Tiger’s No. 17 ranked double’s partners, Keri Wong and Josipa Bek.
In singles, Secrebegovic and Wong went up against each other individually and Secrebegovic ended up defeating Clemson’s No. 47 athlete 6-2, 7-6(4).
Saturday and Sunday, Secerbegovic was under a lot of pressure in singles whenever the final point came down to her match again against Kansas and Kansas State.
The overall win was left up to Secerbegovic but she became one of Baylor’s most valuable players after coming out on top. She defeated Kansas’s Paulina Los with a 6-2, 6-1 win and a 6-0, 6-1 win against Kansas State’s No. 83 Karla Bonacic.
This season, Secerbegovic is ranked No. 27 overall. She has a 17-3 record in singles and in doubles a 10-6 record with all her current partners.
“I’m not personally just trying to get better for myself but for my other teammates and the new freshmen to teach them how it is from my experience, how it was to get to this point in my life where I am now,” said Secerbegovic. “If I can do that and help them overcome their difficulties that they have now then at least I can say I made something happen while I was here.”
Secerbegovic received her fourth Big 12 Player of the Week throughout her career, but it is the first time this season for one of the women’s tennis players to receive this award.
The Lady Bears have had a very successful season holding a 14-5 record and are currently ranked No. 13. Baylor’s next games will be here in Waco this weekend against No. 44th-ranked Oklahoma at 5 p.m. Friday and against No. 42nd-ranked Oklahoma at 1 p.m. Sunday.
“We try not to put our ego first, we try to put our team first,” Secerbegovic said. “Our primary goal is to win the NCAA championship and that’s what we’re working for. If it’s necessary to win those awards to get that championship then so be it but until then were going to work to get that championship.”