Baylor
Northwestern
No. 26 WT Downs No. 9 Northwestern
3/27/2018 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas - Baylor women's tennis battled its way to a 5-2 victory over ninth-ranked Northwestern, 5-2, at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center Tuesday night. It is the first Top 10 win since May 15, 2015, and the program's 29th under 16th-year head coach Joey Scrivano.
After falling behind 1-0 when Northwestern won the doubles point, the Bears came fighting back to earn the advantage with consecutive singles victories.
Sophomore Angelina Shakhraichuk turned the tide with a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory against Julie Byrne on court six. Fellow sophomore Jessica Hinojosa put her team ahead with another strong win on court four, 6-2, 6-1, over Alex Chatt.
Seconds later, Northwestern evened up the match, 2-2, with a two-set win at No. 1 singles.
With the result on the line, Baylor and Northwestern continued to battle in out in the final three singles slots. Freshman Livia Kraus provided the 3-2 edge, setting up freshman Kristina Sorokolet and sophomore Camilla Abbate for match point.
Both players continued their matches into the third set, before Sorokolet clinched the match with victory, 6-2, 2-6, 6-4, at No. 2 singles. The teams elected to play it out on court three and an absolute battle ensued. Abbate earned the win in tiebreak fashion, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2).
TOP QUOTES
"It was a great team win. I'm really proud of our team, they played hard start to finish and Top 10 wins are not easy to come by." - Head Coach Joey Scrivano
"This group has a really bright future. They've been steadily improving the entire season and, I've said this before, they're a real pleasure to work with. They get it. They understand that they have to put in the hard work and from a coaching perspective, you just want to see teams and players like this have success because they really earn it and put in the work. I'm just incredibly proud of them." - Head Coach Joey Scrivano
"I was just trying to fight for every point. I didn't have to think about the score, I was just trying to hit every shot. It was kind of stressful because the score was really close, but I was just trying to enjoy the game." - Freshman Kristina Sorokolet
"It's definitely a big experience, and I'm glad I had this opportunity to clinch the match and try to show my best. It's really important to have such experiences." - Freshman Kristina Sorokolet
"We were all so excited and we were really, really proud. We fought so hard and worked so hard in the last few weeks. We had some really good matches against really good opponents, so it's about time for us to get a good win like that." - Freshman Livia Kraus
"I'm having so much fun, I love it. (Playing for Baylor) is so much better than everybody said it would be. I like spending time with the team, I like the traveling, I like that we all compete on the court together, I like that we have fans and it gets loud. I really, really enjoy it." - Freshman Livia Kraus
OTHER NOTABLES
- No. 26 Baylor is 11-10 on the season following its dual match win over No. 9 Northwestern.
- Baylor defeated its first Top 10 opponent since May 15, 2015, when it edged No. 8 Virginia in the second round of the NCAA Team Championship in Waco, Texas.
- Under 16th-year head coach Joey Scrivano, the program has registered 29 victories over Top 10 opponents.
- The Bears lead the Wildcats, 8-5, in the all-time series.
- Under head coach Joey Scrivano, Baylor is 8-4 against Northwestern.
- Baylor has registered two victories over Top 15 opponents this season, knocking off No. 11 Ohio State, 4-0, on March 2 and No. 9 Northwestern, 5-2, on March 27.
- Sophomore Jessica Hinojosa extends her win streak to nine matches.
- Freshman Livia Kraus has won four-straight matches. She has a team-high 20 wins in 2017-18 in her debut season for the Bears.
- Sophomore transfer Camilla Abbate tallied her 14th win of the dual match season, which leads the way for Baylor. She is in her first season with the Bears.
UP NEXT
After a weekend off, Baylor continues Big 12 action against Texas Tech on Friday, April 6. First serve is set for 5 p.m. (CT) at Hurd Tennis Center in Waco.
For an inside look at the Baylor women's tennis program, follow the team's official social media accounts (@BaylorWTennis on Twitter and Instagram, /BaylorWTennis on Facebook).
Players Mentioned
