Hannah Haseloff | Lariat Photographer
By Cody Soto
Sports Writer
No. 7 Baylor women’s tennis will travel to Lubbock for its third-straight conference road match on Saturday to face No. 18 Texas Tech.
The Bears (19-4, 5-0 Big 12) are a perfect 4-0 in Big 12 matches away from the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco. Baylor took a tight 4-3 decision over the West Virginia Mountaineers in Morgantown, W. Va., on Saturday and then blew past Iowa State 4-0 in Ames, Iowa last Sunday.
The team has had some impressive wins on the road, and Saturday’s match could be another or not.
“When we focus on the things that don’t take talent we usually play well. I am proud of the ladies’ effort,” head coach Joey Scrivano said. “The Big 12’s very deep this year with lots of NCAA tournament caliber teams. You need to show up each week.”
The Bears own a 25-11 all-time series lead over the Red Raiders, including four straight wins. Baylor blanked Texas Tech 4-0 in their last meeting on April 26, 2014, and the team has not lost a match to the Red Raiders since 2012. That 4-3 decision is the only loss ever under Scrivano.
The No. 18-ranked Red Raiders are led by sophomore Lynn Kiro, who is ranked No. 60 in the latest ITA rankings. Freshman Sarah Dvorak is ranked No. 90, followed by freshman Sabrina Federici at No. 122.
The Red Raiders (14-4, 4-1 Big 12) have recently won two very important matchups against Big 12 conference foes. Texas Tech took a 4-1 win over No. 32 Oklahoma and a thrilling 4-3 upset over No. 13 Oklahoma State in Lubbock.
After the win, senior Kenna Kilgo was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for her 6-3, 6-1 win over No. 15 Viktoriya Lushkova of Oklahoma State.
Baylor has five ranked players in singles play. No. 25 senior Ema Burgic leads the pack, followed by sophomore Blair Shankle at No. 28, No. 75 junior Kiah Generette, No. 82 junior Rachael James-Baker and No. 99 freshman Leolia JeanJean.
The Bears also have two ranked doubles team in No. 7 Burgic and Shankle as well as the No. 26 duo of JeanJean and freshman Kelley Anderson.
Baylor and Texas Tech face off at 11 a.m. Saturday at the McLeod Tennis Center. Follow the Lariat sports account (@BULariatSports) for updates.
