No. 15 MT Heads to Michigan for ITA Kick-Off Weekend

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Undefeated in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend with a perfect all-time mark of 18-0, the 15^th-ranked Baylor men's tennis team (4-0) will have that streak tested when the Bears face No. 4 Michigan at 9 a.m. CST Saturday in Ann Arbor.
            One of seven regionals across the country, the four-team pod at Michigan is the only one that features all four teams ranked in the top 25. Second-seeded and No. 11 Texas A&M (1-0) takes on No. 21 Pepperdine at 1 p.m. in the other first-round matchup, with the winners squaring off at 1 p.m. Sunday for a spot in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships Feb. 12-14 in Champaign, Ill.
            "It's exactly what we wanted, what we were looking for, when we selected the regional," Baylor interim head coach Michael Woodson said. "It gives our guys an opportunity to really show where they're at, where the team is at, in comparison to the best teams in the country. . . . To get two high-quality matches, regardless of who we're playing, was the goal. And I think we're going to get that."
            In dominant wins over Lamar (7-0), ACU (6-1) and a doubleheader sweep of SMU (both 7-0), the Bears were a combined 23-1 in singles and 11-1 in doubles while rotating 12 players.
            "For us, developing the young guys for the future is really high on our priority list, as well as winning," Woodson said. "Anytime we can play matches like we did last weekend and have all the guys play and come through, I think it's a huge win for the team."
            Michigan, which was ranked No. 3 at the end of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, boasts a returning All-American in Andrew Fenty. The reigning Big Ten Player of the Year, Fenty is ranked 14^th in the nation in singles and No. 2 in doubles with senior Mattias Siimar, while Ondrej Styler and Connor Johnston are 28^th and 83^rd, respectively, in the ITA singles rankings.
            The Wolverines also have a familiar face in associate head coach Benjamin Becker, the 2004 NCAA singles champion, a three-time All-American and a 2017 Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame inductee.
            "I feel like if you're in the business long enough, you're going to come across people you know really well, friends, connections," Woodson said. "It was definitely good to see Benni. I got to catch up with him just a little bit ago."
            Baylor returns an experienced lineup with Matias Soto, Sven Lah, Adrian Boitan, Ryan Dickerson, Finn Bass, Constantin Frantzen and Sebastian Nothhaft and added a trio of grad transfers in Spencer Furman and Nick Stachowiak from Duke and Charlie Broom from Dartmouth.
            Last year, the Bears defeated Gonzaga and Louisville in Waco to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships before falling to Wake Forest and Columbia in matches sandwiched around a 4-0 shutout of the host Wisconsin team at the ITA Indoor Championships.
            "We have a good idea of the guys that are kind of rising to the top at the moment," Woodson said. "I think we feel really confident in a double-digit number of players, as needed. That's one of the reasons why we brought as many guys as we did (12). But, we also want to continue to put the ball in the hands of guys that have the experience and are playing their best right now. I feel like they're starting to separate themselves."
            Live streaming for Saturday's match against Michigan will be available at http://www.sidearmstats.com/umichigan/tennis/live-scoring-dual-m-20210123.html.

WACO, Texas – No. 15 Baylor men's tennis (4-0) hits the road for the first time in 2021, heading to Ann Arbor, Mich., to take part in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend.

As the fourth seed in the four-team bracket, the Bears will face a Michigan (0-0) team ranked No. 4 in the country on Saturday at 9 a.m. CT. A match with either No. 2-seed/No. 11 Texas A&M (1-0) or No. 3-seed/No. 21 Pepperdine (0-0) will follow on Sunday at a time to be determined.

To qualify for the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, Baylor must win both of its matches over the weekend. National Indoors is set for Feb. 12-14 in Champaign, Ill.

Baylor is 18-0 all-time at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend, advancing to the national event in each of the previous nine seasons. This is the Bears' 10^th appearance in the Kick-Off Weekend in just the 12^th year of the event's existence.

BU holds a nine-match win streak overall, dating back to Feb. 16, 2020.

The Bears are 4-0 in the doubles point this season and boast a combined 23-1 record in singles play, as well as an 11-1 mark in doubles competition across dual matches.

Baylor holds a 2-1 series advantage all-time against Michigan. Both wins came in the 2019 season, as the Bears defeated the Wolverines in Ann Arbor to punch their ticket to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship and collected another win over Michigan in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

BU is 22-35-1 all-time against Texas A&M and 9-4 all-time against Pepperdine.

Live results and a live video stream for the matches will be available at MGoBlue.com. A redzone-style wraparound stream will also be provided by CrackedRacquets.

For the latest news on the Baylor men's tennis team all season long, follow their official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis.

ITA Kick-Off Weekend
Saturday, Jan. 23
(#4-seed) No. 15 Baylor at (#1-seed) No. 4 Michigan – 9 a.m. CT
(#2-seed) No. 11 Texas A&M vs. (#3-seed) No. 21 Pepperdine – 1 p.m. CT

Sunday, Jan. 24
Consolation Match – 9 a.m. CT
Championship Match – 1 p.m. CT

-BaylorBears.com-

No. 15 MT Heads to Michigan for ITA Kick-Off Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Finn Bass

Adrian Boitan

Charlie Broom

Ryan Dickerson

Constantin Frantzen

Spencer Furman

Sven Lah

Sebastian Nothhaft

Matias Soto

Nick Stachowiak

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