By Kalena Reynolds | Staff Writer
The sunshine brought good tidings to No. 25 Baylor women’s tennis as the Bears took down the University of Denver, 4-0, at the Hurd Tennis Center Sunday afternoon.
“It was a good win and a good team effort,” Baylor head coach Joey Scrivano said. “Denver always gives us a really competitive match. So just proud of the ladies, they competed hard today.”
Undefeated doubles pairing Zuzanna Kubacha and Wenfei Yu started doubles play with a win for the green and gold on Court Two against No. 110 Denver’s Claudia Martinez and Louise Wilkander, 6-1. The win makes the duo 4-0 on the season.
As fans shifted their eyes toward the other side of the stadium, the No. 13 pairing of Liubov Kostenko and Cristina Tiglea gained momentum for the Bears (4-1). The fight was long, and the crowd cheered enthusiastically as Kostenko and Tiglea helped secure the doubles point against the No. 47 pair of Andrea Beltran and Marley Lambert, 7-5, on Court One.
“We definitely don’t put too much weight on the rankings; we’re more focused on the process,” Scrivano said. “Obviously, it’s nice to see your team in the top 25, especially when you have a group of players like us who are committed to the process and put in so much hard work. I love seeing them get recognized. But we have a lot more to come, and this is just the beginning for this team.”
While Baylor is currently 4-1 all-time against Denver, the green and gold were hungry to keep rolling. No. 118 Yu dominated in singles with a 6-3, 6-1 win on Court Five against Hana Becirovic Novak.
Yu put up a tough fight for Baylor, going 30-all after a tough fight against Novak, but lost the battle after a deuce. In the second set, Yu pushed through after her opponent scored 40-30 and ended up victorious for the Bears, bringing another win to the Bears’ home court.
Sophomore Kubacha gained a lead over Pioneers opponent Lambert, winning 6-3 and 6-0 on Court Three. Continuing the success and helping to secure the 4-0 sweep, freshman Nanaka Sato led the Bears to a win against Denver’s Natalie Cinkova 6-2, 6-3 on Court Two in her second collegiate dual match.
Women’s tennis will travel to California to face San Diego State at 2 p.m. Saturday at Hogan Tennis Center in San Diego.
