No. 5 MT Blows Past Gonzaga in ITA Kick-Off Opener

Saturday, January 25

Waco, Texas

3:00 p.m. CT

Baylor

Gonzaga

No. 5 MT Blows Past Gonzaga in ITA Kick-Off Opener

1/25/2020 5:57:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Baylor improves to 19-0 in ITA Kick-Off matches with 4-0 sweep

WACO, Texas – No. 5 Baylor men's tennis (4-0) rolled in singles action to take a 4-0 win over Gonzaga (2-2) in its ITA Kick-Off opener on Saturday at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.

Baylor improved to 19-0 all-time in ITA Kick-Off matches and advance to face Louisville in Sunday's championship match. The winner will book a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships next month in Madison, Wis.

20^th-ranked Constantin Frantzen and Sven Lah opened doubles action with a quick 6-0 win over No. 57 Sam Feit and Matthew Hollingworth at the top of the lineup for the duo's third win over a ranked foe. Then, freshmen Finn Bass and Sebastian Nothhaft clinched the opening point with a 6-2 victory at the No. 3 spot.

The Bears took all six opening sets over the Bulldogs, including the lone tiebreaker on court six. 19^th-ranked Lah recorded a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Hollingworth on court two, followed by No. 111 Ryan Dickerson's 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Eric Hadigian at the No. 3 spot.

Down 5-0 in the second set, Bass rallied off seven straight games to take a 6-2, 7-5 win over Vincent Rettke on court four to close out the match.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor has won 35 of its last 36 home matches dating back to 2017, including 20 in a row.
• Baylor is 4-0 in the doubles point and 4-0 when winning the doubles point this season.
• Baylor has swept three of its four opponents this season.
• Baylor improved to 19-0 in ITA Kick-Off matches, advancing to its 10^th championship match.
• Three Bears (Dickerson, Bass and Lah) improved to 4-0 in spring singles action.
• Lah and Frantzen improved to 3-1 against ranked opponents in doubles play.
• Baylor leads the all-time series against Gonzaga, 1-0.

STAT OF THE MATCH
20 – the number of consecutive home wins by the Bears.

TOP QUOTE #1
Head coach Brian Boland
On the win…
"I thought the guys did a really good job. They came out with a lot of energy, competed well. It was great for us. It's exactly what we need at this point in the season, and I really look forward to playing a very competitive match against Louisville tomorrow."

TOP QUOTE #2
Sophomore Finn Bass
On the comeback win in the second set…
"I had a bit of an energy lapse, went to sleep a little bit, so I thought I should just keep things simple, keep the ball in play, use my craft, and change things up a bit. I was thinking point by point, even if I'm losing a set, I should build some momentum. If I was to go into a third set, I just need to start with a bit of confidence."

WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears advance to the ITA Kick-Off championship match to face Louisville for a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The match is slated for a 3 p.m. first serve at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. New Mexico and Gonzaga will play a consolation match at 11 a.m.