By Michael Haag | Sports Writer
No. 2 Baylor men’s tennis opened season play with a 7-0 sweep of Creighton University on Wednesday night at the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center at the University of Nebraska. This is the Bears’ seventh straight season in which they start with a victory, and head coach Michael Woodson remains perfect in season openers.
Woodson was glad to have his team back on the court and playing again. He said he had talked to the squad about bringing energy, and they succeeded tonight.
“I thought it was a really good start to the season, it was nice to be out there competing again,” Woodson said. “I was really impressed with the competitive spirit and energy the guys had. I think that’s something we’ve talked a lot about and I wasn’t sure how we were going to do today after working with them for so long and having so many new faces. I was pleased with the way they competed as a whole.”
The Bears (1-0) were able to take the doubles point against the Bluejays (0-2) with wins from all three duo partners. No. 18 combo of fifth-year senior Sven Lah and junior Finn Bass began with a 6-3 win, which was the 97th career doubles win for Lah. Junior Adrian Boitan and graduate transfer Jacob Brumm snagged a point in a 6-2 triumph of their own, while pair of fifth-year senior Matias Soto and junior Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi finished with a 6-4 victory.
Singles were also a success for Baylor, as junior newcomer Cole Gromley notched the Bears’ first win of the day and his first individual win with Baylor going 6-2, 6-1 in his match. Mazzuchi also attained his first win as a Bear, as he posted a 6-1, 6-3 victory, while No. 48 Lah carried on with a 6-1, 6-3 win of his own. Boitan, in the No. 1 slot, concluded in a convincing 6-1, 6-3 win. It was a tough match for Brumm, who also recorded his first win in the green and gold via a 1-6, 6-2, 10-8 success. Bass had a similar battle in which he won 7-5, 6-4 to wrap up the contest.
Lah thought the performance from the team was good and said everyone handled their business on the court. He expects another big day from the group in their matches tomorrow.
“It was definitely a good start,” Lah said. “Having this match today before our match against Nebraska tomorrow – which I think will be a little tougher – was a great opportunity to ease into the season and see where we’re at. Individually, I felt I did a good job handling the momentum throughout my match and I think the other guys did the same on their courts. We’re competing hard, and I’m lucky and thankful that we all got it done. It’s going to be another great day tomorrow.”
Woodson said he was glad to see the new faces succeed and is excited for more in the future.
“We’re excited to be out there again and happy to see the new guys out here competing, for the first time for a couple of them,” Woodson said. “I’m looking forward to more.”
Baylor won’t get a break, as they continue their season against the University of Nebraska on Thursday evening in the Sid and Hazel Dillon Tennis Center. Doubles play against the Cornhuskers is set to begin at 5 p.m. Live scoring and live feeds of the match can be found on the men’s tennis schedule page.
