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March 20, 2002
WACO, Texas -
#27 Baylor (11-3, 3-0) at #16 Texas (8-3, 4-0) Saturday,March 23, 2002 2 p.m. Austin, Texas
Two Big 12 teams, Baylor and Texas, will put their undefeated conference records on the line on Saturday, March 23 when the two schools face each other in Austin. Baylor is 11-3 overall and 3-0 in Big 12 play while the Longhorns are 8-3 on the season and 4-0 in league action.
The Bears come into the match with two straight wins under their belt. They defeated Oklahoma State and Colorado in Waco last week. Vida Mulec at No. 2 singles, and Barbora Blahutiakova, at No. 6 singles, have the best dual match records this spring at 10-2 each. Senior Katja Kovac owns the team's best overall singles record this year at 21-9. In doubles, the No. 1 team of Kovac and Mulec own the team's best record at 13-7 on the season and 7-5 in dual match play. They are currently ranked No. 49 nationally.
The Longhorns, 8-3 overall and 4-0 in league action, started the season off with eight straight victories but have dropped their last three matches, all of which were on the road. The Longhorns lost to No. 3 Florida, No. 2 Wake Forest and No. 7 Duke last week. They will host Arizona State (Thurs., March 21) before playing the Bears. They will also take on Texas Tech at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday before hosting Baylor at 2 p.m.
Kovac Named Preseason All-Big 12...
Senior Katja Kovac was the only Baylor women's tennis player to receive preseason All-Big 12 honors in a vote of league coaches. Kovac, a native of Ljubljana, Slovenia, is currently ranked No. 59 nationally. She ended her fall season with a 12-5 record and made it to the finals of the ITA Regionals.
Baylor in the Rankings...
The latest Omni Hotels Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, released Mar. 20, dropped the Baylor women's team from No. 18 to No. 27. The Bears are currently 11-3 on the season after defeating Big 12 opponents Oklahoma State (5-2) and Colorado (7-0) last week. In the ITA Top 100 individual rankings also released on Mar. 20, two Lady Bears stayedin the rankings. Senior Katja Kovac dropped from No. 47 to No. 59, while junior Vida Mulec moved up from No. 71 to No. 66. In doubles, the team of Kovac/Mulec were listed at the No. 49 spot.
Head Coach Dave Luedtke...
Baylor Head Coach Dave Luedtke is in his 15th season at thehelm of the women's program. He has a career record of 206-131 at Baylor. Last season he guided the Bears to a third place Big 12 finish and to the Round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament. His teams have made six consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
Kovac Breaking Records...
Senior Katja Kovac improves the school record for career singles wins each time she wins a match. Currently Kovac has set the mark at 132 career wins.
Moving Up the Charts...
Senior Frida Borjesson ranks No. 6 in career wins with 80 and junior VIda Mulec ranks No. 8 with 78 wins.
