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June 3, 2002
WACO, Texas - In a season where the Lady Bear tennis team finished fourth in the Big 12 conference, where all but one team was ranked nationally, and four of their eight losses were to top 25 teams, expectations were high that Baylor would make the NCAA Tournament for the seventh straight season. However, that wasn't to be as the Lady Bears were left off the list of 64 teams invited to the big dance.
The Baylor roster featured a good blend of veterans and newcomers. Seniors Katja Kovac, Paola Stephen and Frida Borjesson and junior Vida Mulec were expected to provide experience and leadership for the four freshmen (Barbora Blahutiakova, Patricia Graf, Whitney Morton, Daria Potapova) on the roster. The team ranked as high as No. 18 in mid-March but had fallen to No. No. 40 by the time the Big 12 Tournament began. After receiving first round bye in the Big 12 Tournament, the Lady Bears lost in the quarterfinals to Oklahoma State, 4-2.
Senior Katja Kovac played No. 1 for the Bears and finished with a 28-12 overall record and was 14-7 in dual match action. Junior Vida Mulec played at No. 2 before being sidelined by injury for the season at the beginning of April. She was 21-9 overall and 12-4 in dual match play. The most impressive freshman was Patricia Graf. The Munich, Germany native earned Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors and was 21-14 on the season and 14-11 in dual matches. She played mostly at No. 3 but moved to the No. 2 spot when Mulec was sidelined. Senior Frida Borjesson recorded a 19-19 record on thes eason. Two freshmen, Daria Porapova and Barbora Blahutiakova, combined for 46 singles victories. Potapova was 23-12 on the season while Blahutiakova was 23-10.
Citing personal reasons, head coach Dave Luedtke resigned on May 30. A national search has begun for his replacement.
Baylor in the Rankings... The final Omni Hotels Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings, released Friday, May 31, saw the Baylor women's team remain at No. 41. In the ITA Top 100 individual rankings also released on May 31, two Lady Bears remained in the rankings. Senior Katja Kovac moved up to No. 52 from No. 57, while junior Vida Mulec dropped from No. 82 to No 94.
Head Coach Dave Luedtke... Baylor Head Coach Dave Luedtke completed his 15th season at the helm of the women's program but resigned at season's end. He finished his career at Baylor with a record of 212-136. Despite a ranking of No. 40 nationally, the Lady Bears were not selected for the NCAA Tournament this season. Prior to this season, Luedtke's teams had made six consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament.
