Feb. 12, 2015

vs.		vs.
#35 Rice vs. #6 Baylor Friday, Feb. 13, 2015 | 2 p.m. CT Houston, Texas | George R. Brown Tennis Center		#14 Clemson vs. #6 Baylor Sunday, Feb. 15, 2015 | 12 p.m. CT Waco, Texas | Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center
Live Scoring		Live Scoring | Live Blog

WACO, Texas - The sixth-ranked Baylor women's tennis team will play its first road match of the year by traveling to No. 35 Rice on Friday, before returning home Sunday to host No. 14 Clemson at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.

Baylor is 8-0 on the season for the fourth-time in program history and has recorded six straight shutouts, including a 4-0 win over No. 63 Maryland and a 7-0 win over Prairie View A&M on Sunday.

"The key for us is to keep focusing on our growth individually and as a team," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "If we do that, everything else will fall into place."

After a 6-0 start to the season in singles action, senior Ema Burgic is up to No. 19 in the latest ITA singles rankings. Teammates Blair Shankle (3-0) and Rachael James-Baker (4-1), No. 79 and No.86, give the Lady Bears a trio of ranked singles players. Burgic and Shankle team together to be ranked No. 27 in doubles, after beginning the season 3-0.

BU will meet Rice at 2 p.m. Friday at the newly opened George R. Brown Tennis Center in Houston. The Owls are 1-5 on the year, but won their lone home match - a 7-0 victory against Lamar on Jan. 17 to open the season. Currently on a five-match losing streak with all of the losses coming to ranked teams, Rice has one ranked singles player in No. 32 Natalie Beazant. The Lady Bears are just 9-12 all-time against the Owls, but have won the last seven matches in the series. Under Scrivano, BU is 5-0 against the former Southwest Conference foe, including a 3-0 record last season.

"Rice has a very good team," Scrivano said. "We played them three times last season and every match was a dog fight. We have a ton of respect for their team. It's going to be a tough match for us."

Sunday's match against Clemson is slated to start at noon. The Tigers are 4-3 overall, but won their last match over No. 26 Kentucky, 4-2, at the ITA Team Indoor Championships. Clemson has four ranked singles players, including No. 23 Joana Eidukontye, No. 35 Romy Koelzer, No. 75 Jessy Rompies and No. 119 Beatrice Gumulya. The Tigers also have the country's top ranked duo in Gumulya and Rompies. Eidukonyte teams with Daniela Ruiz to be ranked No. 44 in doubles. The all-time series between the two teams is tied at 3-3, but BU has won three of the last four. The Lady Bears only loss to the Tigers over the last four was in their last match - a 4-3 decision on March 8, 2013. BU and Clemson have both hosted Georgie this season with the Lady Bears taking a 4-3 win and Clemson falling by a 4-3 margin.

"Clemson is a top 15 team year in and year out," Scrivano said. "They always give us all we can handle and more. It's should be a very entertaining match on Sunday."

Prior to the Clemson match, BU will host a session of the Baylor Cub Tennis Program at 11 a.m. Children 11-years-old and under can come to the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center on Sunday to receive free basic tennis instruction.

Live scoring from the Rice match on Friday will be provided by RiceOwls.com and can be accessed through a link on BaylorBears.com. Live results and a live blog for the Clemson match will be available at BaylorBears.com.

Following the two matches in three days, Baylor will hit the road for a three-match road trip, starting with No. 15 Michigan on Feb. 20 and then at 11th-ranked Vanderbilt on Feb. 22.

For the latest news on the Baylor women's tennis team follow its official Twitter account: @BaylorWTennis.