Close Menu
The Baylor Lariat
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    Trending
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects
    • Baylor graduate charged after killing cats with pellet gun, hanging bodies over utility lines
    • Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18
    • Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting
    • How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings
    • Welcome Week leaders now paid in hopes of increasing numbers
    • 5 Baylor sports storylines to look forward to in 2025-26
    • About us
      • Spring 2025 Staff Page
      • Copyright Information
    • Contact
      • Contact Information
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Subscribe to The Morning Buzz
      • Department of Student Media
    • Employment
    • PDF Archives
    • RSS Feeds
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    The Baylor LariatThe Baylor Lariat
    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz
    Tuesday, July 8
    • News
      • State and National News
        • State
        • National
      • Politics
        • 2025 Inauguration Page
        • Election Page
      • Homecoming Page
      • Baylor News
      • Waco Updates
      • Campus and Waco Crime
    • Arts & Life
      • Wedding Edition 2025
      • What to Do in Waco
      • Campus Culture
      • Indy and Belle
      • Sing 2025
      • Leisure and Travel
        • Leisure
        • Travel
          • Baylor in Ireland
      • Student Spotlight
      • Local Scene
        • Small Businesses
        • Social Media
      • Arts and Entertainment
        • Art
        • Fashion
        • Food
        • Literature
        • Music
        • Film and Television
    • Opinion
      • Editorials
      • Points of View
      • Lariat Letters
    • Sports
      • March Madness 2025
      • Football
      • Basketball
        • Men’s Basketball
        • Women’s Basketball
      • Soccer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
      • Volleyball
      • Equestrian
      • Cross Country and Track & Field
      • Acrobatics & Tumbling
      • Tennis
      • Golf
      • Pro Sports
      • Sports Takes
      • Club Sports
    • Lariat TV News
    • Multimedia
      • Video Features
      • Podcasts
        • Don’t Feed the Bears
      • Slideshows
    • Advertising
    The Baylor Lariat
    Home»Featured

    Tennis stars rank high in ITA preseason list

    Joshua DavisBy Joshua DavisSeptember 16, 2015Updated:September 17, 2015 Featured No Comments3 Mins Read
    Senior Julian Lenz pumps his fist after winning a match during the Bears’ matchday against Oklahoma State at the Hurd Tennis Center April 12, 2014. Lenz ranks No. 4 in after ITA’s rankings list was released Wed.
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Baylor tennis is thriving after both the men’s and women’s teams claimed the Big 12 title last season. Ahead of the 2015-16 season, Baylor placed three players in the men’s ITA pre-season rankings, and two in the women’s ITA pre-season rankings.

    Senior Julian Lenz leads the men’s side at No. 4 and the Lady Bears are led by junior Blair Shankle, who was ranked No. 25. Junior Max Tchoutakian and senior Felipe Rios rank at No. 36 and No. 87 in singles, respectively.

    Senior Kiah Generette came in at No. 53 in the women’s preseason rankings.

    MEN

    The team’s success rides on the shoulders of senior Julian Lenz, who finished last season 26-9 while earning All-America honors in singles. At one point last season, the German native was ranked No. 1 in the country, but fell to No. 4 after losing in the second round of the NCAA Singles Championships.

    “[Lenz is] getting better all the time,” head coach Matt Knoll said. “He’s a guy that’s got a real fire for trying to become a pro, and that’s the direction he’s headed. He’s just scratching the surface.”

    The Bears also hope to improve upon their recent men’s doubles performances by partnering up Lenz and Tchoutakian. The two players enter this season ranked No. 15 in the country.

    This year marks the first time that the duo will pair up on the court. However, both players experienced success in 2014 in doubles.

    Lenz ended last season with a 23-2 record in doubles play and a 26-3 mark overall with partner Diego Galeano. The pair tied the record for the second-most wins (26) in program history.

    The Bears saved their best for last in 2015, as three of the final five victories for Lenz and Galeano came over top-10 teams. The pair finished with a 14-2 record against ranked opponents.

    Last season was the first time a Baylor doubles team had made it to the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship and the first time a BU tandem ended the season at No. 1.

    “We have nine guys competing for spots in the lineup, so that helps within the team to have good practices because everybody is trying to get a spot,” Lenz said.

    Both Lenz and Tchoutakian will kick off the season Friday at the Oracle/ITA Master’s in Malibu, Calif.

    Another senior who looks to provide a boost to the Bears lineup is Felipe Rios. Rios hopes to get started on the right foot when he plays in the qualifying draw of the ITA All-American Championships on Oct. 6.

    WOMEN

    Junior Blair Shankle and Generette will lead the Lady Bears this season.

    At the end of the 2015 season, Shankle was selected to the NCAA Singles Championships after a 29-7 record, which led the team in wins and dual-match singles wins (23-2).

    Shankle earned All-American doubles honors for a second-straight year and was named to the 2015 All-Big 12 singles and doubles teams last season.

    Generette, who ended last season at No. 74, tallied a 19-10 overall record and was named to the All-Big 12 singles team.

    Both Lady Bears were selected to play in the qualifying singles and doubles draws of the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships on Oct. 6.

    Baylor opens its fall schedule on Sept. 18 by hosting the Under Armour/H-E-B Kickoff which will run through Sept. 20.

     

    Joshua Davis

    Keep Reading

    Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown

    Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects

    Baylor graduate charged after killing cats with pellet gun, hanging bodies over utility lines

    Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18

    Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting

    How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings

    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Recent Posts
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown June 27, 2025
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects June 26, 2025
    About

    The award-winning student newspaper of Baylor University since 1900.

    Articles, photos, and other works by staff of The Baylor Lariat are Copyright © Baylor® University. All rights reserved.

    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz

    Get the latest Lariat News by just Clicking Subscribe!

    Follow the Live Coverage
    Tweets by @bulariat

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    • Featured
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Arts and Life
    © 2025 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.