By Michael Haag | Sports Editor
No. 6 seed Baylor women’s tennis advanced past the first round of the Big 12 Championships with a 4-2 victory over No. 11 seed West Virginia on Wednesday afternoon at the Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater, Okla.
The Bears (17-11) dropped the doubles point to the Mountaineers (14-12) but used singles play to find the postseason win, which marked their second win in the last seven outings.
Baylor will face No. 3 seed Oklahoma at 3 p.m. on Thursday at the same venue.
“In the end, it’s just character,” Bears head coach Joey Scrivano said of the win. “This is building character, and ultimately that’s what college tennis is about. I’m really excited about this team moving forward, and I’m really proud of them.”
Baylor had some different doubles lineups due to injury, according to a press release, and West Virginia capitalized by taking the doubles point. The Mountaineers found a 6-3 win on court three, and Baylor leveled the count with a 6-2 decision on two.
https://twitter.com/BaylorWTennis/status/1780607229680406966
WVU clinched the point on court one with a 6-4 victory.
Bears senior Miska Kadleckova, who’s ranked No. 117 in singles, cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 success on court one. Kadleckova stands 16-4 on the year and 15-4 at the No. 1 spot in the lineup. The Mountaineers retaliated with a 6-1, 6-4 win on five to retake the overall lead.
Baylor knotted the tally at 2-2 when junior Liubov Kostenko pulled away with a 6-2, 6-3 win on No. 3. The Bears were ahead on the remaining three courts, but sophomore Danielle Tuhten cruised to a 6-3, 6-3 victory on six to give them a 3-2 advantage.
The match-clinching point came off the racquet of freshman Zuzanna Kubacha, who worked to a 6-4, 6-3 success on court four. Graduate student Isabella Harvison’s match remained unfinished at just one game away by a score of 7-6(4), 5-0.
Baylor and Oklahoma will square off in the quarterfinals at 3 p.m. on Thursday in Stillwater. The contest can be streamed on ESPN+.
