By Jeffrey Cohen | Sports Writer
Junior Devin Badenhorst and senior Luc Koenig found themselves falling behind in their doubles match Monday afternoon.
The pair were down to their final game, but tied the set at 5-5 to stay alive. Koenig later connected for a service ace to win the doubles point for the Bears, sending his teammates into a roar.
“Winning close sets builds a lot of confidence,” head coach Michael Woodson said. “When they play in those pressure moments, they know they can do it because they’ve done it before.”
A pair of comeback doubles victories set the tone for No. 16 Baylor (3-1) in its 6-1 win over Wisconsin (1-1) Monday at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. The Bears dropped only one set and a tiebreaker throughout the entire match against the Badgers.
Junior Connor Van Schalkwyk and freshman Blake Anderson started the day trailing 3-1 on Court Three. The duo came back to secure Baylor’s first win of the match, 6-4.
“As a team, we feel pretty confident,” Van Schalkwyk said. “Everything is coming together, and I think we can be a very good team.”
The win marks the Bears’ third straight victory, following a 5-2 loss at No. 8 San Diego on Tuesday and a doubleheader sweep over Lamar on Saturday.
Baylor dominated in the first sets on Monday, taking a 1-0 lead in all six singles matches. Badenhorst, Koenig and graduate student Alexandru Chirita won tiebreakers while Van Schalkwyk and senior Zsombor Velcz cruised through the initial set. Junior Louis Bowden defeated Oliver Olsson 7-5 on Court Six.
“It’s one of the first times in a while I feel like we won every single close set,” Woodson said. “All the tiebreakers, anything that got to five-all, we won it.”
Van Schalkwyk made quick work of his opponent in the second set, winning Baylor’s first singles point 6-4, 6-3. He has won his last three singles matches after losing in three sets to San Diego’s Stian Klaassen.
“I usually play pretty fast, winning or losing,” Van Schalkwyk said. “After winning, it’s the best feeling to just go there and support the teammates, giving them energy.”
Koenig followed with a 7-6(2), 6-3 win, capped off by a shot that landed in the back left corner of the court. Velcz came back from trailing 4-0 in the second set to secure the win for the Bears by a score of 6-3, 7-5.
“When guys start to get up a set and a break, then the momentum starts to really swing in your favor,” Woodson said. “I thought the guys off the court did a good job of keeping the guys on the court in [the match].”
Bowden commanded the final set of his match, winning 7-5, 6-1, following the decisive fourth point from Velcz. Chirita gave Baylor a 6-0 lead, securing his singles match 7-6(3), 7-5.
Badenhorst was the final Bear to finish, falling 7-6(5), 4-6, 10-12.
The Bears will return to the court to face off against Abilene Christian at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
