Jan. 13, 2016 WACO, Texas - The 11th-ranked Baylor women's tennis team will open its 2016 home slate Thursday with a doubleheader against McNeese State and University of Texas Rio Grande Valley at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
"The team is progressing and that's fun to see," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "I'm really proud of they're work ethic and willingness to be coached. Tomorrow's doubleheader presents an opportunity to grow and improve. It's a lot of tennis but great teams embrace the challenge. I'm confident we will do that and play with passion."
Baylor (1-0) will face the Cowgirls at 2 p.m., followed by UTRGV at 6 p.m. Both opponents will be playing their first matches of 2016.
The Lady Bears are 1-0 after a 4-3 win at Hawai'i Saturday. The Baylor duo of Kiah Generette and Blair Shankle, ranked No. 12 in the country, opened with a win in Honolulu. Freshman Karina Traxler paired with sophomore Kelley Anderson to record a doubles victory in her first collegiate match. She went on to claim her singles match as well, along with newcomers Gabriela Ferreira and Rhiann Newborn to produce the 4-3 triumph.
"We learned a lot from the Hawaii match," Scrivano added. "Tough matches like that are invaluable. We are very excited to be playing at home in front of our community and supporters. It's great to be back in Waco playing tennis again."
McNeese State finished 2015 with a 13-8 overall record, going 8-3 in conference play. Thursday will be the first match in the series between BU and McNeese State.
Last season, Baylor defeated UT Rio Grande Valley, previously UT Pan American, by a score of 7-0, extending a 4-0 all time record dating back to 1990.
Prior to the UTRGV match, the team will host a session of the Baylor Cub Tennis Program at 5 p.m. Children 11-years-old and under can come to the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center to receive free basic tennis instruction
Live results and live video for the matches will be available at BaylorBears.com with a live blog available for the McNeese State match as well.
Following Thursday's doubleheader, Baylor will take on 10th-ranked Texas A&M on Jan. 27 at 5 p.m. at the Hurd Tennis Center in the Aggies' first match of the spring season.
Follow the official Twitter and Instagram accounts of the team: @BaylorWTennis for an inside look with results, photos and stories.
