By Jackson Posey | Sports Writer
No. 22 Baylor women’s tennis swept Kansas State at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center Friday, 4-0. The win moves the Bears to 16-3 overall and 7-2 in Big 12 play.
“Love the way we’re competing,” Baylor head coach Joey Scrivano said. “At this time of the year, all that matters is how well you compete. You don’t have a lot of preparation left, practice is what it is, and now it’s just all about showing up and giving your best, and we did that today.”
The doubles point came together in a flurry, as all three courts took their final turns within a 90-second span.
Baylor bounced back from 3-2 deficits on Courts Two and Three to take 5-4 leads. Zuzanna Kubacha and Kennedy Gibbs dropped a 40-40 tie to knot Court Three up at 5-5; it was ultimately left abandoned there. Moments later, Na Dong and Sierra Berry took consecutive points to secure a 6-4 victory on Court Two.
Court One witnessed a defensive struggle. Liubov Kostenko played close to the net, once drawing a charge with a soft tap to the right, then rocketing the return across the court to no-man’s land. Kostenko and Cristina Tiglea finished off the doubles point 6-2.
“I think I was just loose today and relaxed,” Kostenko said. “It’s very nice to play at home for me. Also, I like playing inside because there is no wind and no sun, so the conditions are really good.”
Kostenko promptly won three straight games on Court One over Wildcat freshman Zhanel Rustemova. On Court Six, Baylor’s Nanaka Sato breezed to a 6-2 set victory over Sana Garakani. Kostenko did the same minutes later.
Gibbs won her opening set on Court Five, while Tiglea and Kubacha found themselves in 6-6 playoffs. Neither would finish their matches. Kostenko swept Rustemova on Court One, 6-2, 6-3, to give the Bears a 2-0 lead. Not long after, Gibbs did the same on Court Six, 6-4, 6-4, to make it 3-0. Match point.
Na Dong battled her way out of a major deficit on Court Three, coming back from the brink of a sweep to steal the second set 7-6. Scrivano and Kostenko both said they were impressed by the freshman’s composure under pressure.
“She just got back to what she does well, which is playing offensive tennis,” Scrivano said. “I love the way she always competes. I mean, she can be down — it doesn’t matter the score, she’s always gonna be in it. So, love her mental fortitude.”
Sato closed it out with a 6-2, 7-6 victory on Court Six to send the Wildcats back to Kansas. The win marked Baylor’s third sweep of conference play, and first at home since March 1.
The Bears will be back in action at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Hurd Tennis Center against No. 26 Oklahoma State. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
