April 29, 2006
WACO, Texas - With a 4-1 victory over No. 41 Nebraska Saturday afternoon, Baylor's women's tennis team earned a spot in the Big 12 Championship final match Sunday at 3 p.m. The Bears have advanced to the finals for two consecutive years playing Texas in both appearances. In the championship match last year, Texas defeated Baylor 4-3. This spring, the Bears are 24-3 overall.
During the Bear's semifinals match, Baylor claimed an early lead by clinching the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. Zuzana Zemenova and Zuzana Krchnakova picked up the first win as they bested Nebraska's Vanessa Heute and Ellinor Zugner 8-2 on court three. Zuzana Cerna and Klara Zrustova tallied the doubles point with an 8-6 victory over Imke Reimers and Pamela Castillejos on court one. The Baylor duo was down 4-6 games before rallying to claim four-straight games to claim the match. Daniela Covello and Iva Mihaylova were tied 5-5 with Milena Schulz-Gartner and Kim Hartmann when Baylor clinched the doubles point.
The singles matches were barely under way when Covello retired from her match against Schulz-Gartner with a rolled ankle. Schulz-Gartner won the match by default, and the win ended up being Nebraska's only point. Baylor rebounded off of the fall as Krchnakova swept through her sets on court six. Krchnakova defeated Zugner 6-0, 6-0 to put Baylor back in the lead. No. 15 Cerna edged Baylor even closer to a win over Nebraska when Cerna picked up a 6-1, 6-4 victory on No. 114 Reimers.
On court one, No. 5 Zemenova sealed Baylor's advancement to the championship's finals. The Bear bested No. 94 Hartmann 6-4, 6-4 on court one to earn the fourth and final point.
"We definitely didn't play our best in singles, but that has a lot to do with Nebraska playing so well. When Dani [Covello] got hurt, it definitely took away some of our juice. But we finished strong and that's what counts," said head coach Joey Scrivano. "Krchnakova played so well and she hit the ball the best I've seen in a long tim; that's really important as we go into post-season play.
In the Big 12 finals, the Bears will meet Texas for the second-straight year. The Longhorns lead the overall series against Baylor 29-2, both Baylor wins picked up in the last two regular seasons. Earlier this spring, Baylor defeated Texas 4-3 in Austin. The Bears have never won the Big 12 post-season Championship title.
The Bears' match begins with doubles play at 3 p.m. and live scoring will be posted at www.baylorbears.com.
#5 Baylor (No. 1 seed), 4 def. #41 Nebraska (No. 5 seed), 1
April 29, 2006 - 4 p.m.
Big 12 Championship - Semifinals
Waco, Texas - Baylor Tennis Center
Singles
Order of finish: 3, 6, 2, 1*
1. #5 Zuzana Zemenova (BU) def. #94 Kim Hartmann (NEB) 6-4, 6-4
2. #15 Zuzana Cerna (BU) def. #114 Imke Reimers (NEB) 6-1, 6-4
3. Milena Schulz-Gartner (NEB) def. Daniela Covello (BU) BU retired (injury)
4. #97 Klara Zrustova (BU) vs Vanessa Heute (NEB) DNF
5. Iva Mihaylova (BU) vs. Pamela Castillejos (NEB) DNF
6. Zuzana Krchnakova (BU) def. Ellinor Zugner (NEB) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
Order of finish: 3, 1
1.Covello/Cerna (BU) def. Reimers/Castillejos (NEB) 8-6
2. Zrustova/Mihaylova (BU) vs. Schulz-Gartner/Hartmann (NEB) DNF
3. Zemenova/Krchnakova (BU) def. Heute/Zugner (NEB) 8-2
