Friday, March 12
Waco, Texas
12:00 PM
Baylor
vs
Iowa State
No. 12 WT Opens Big 12 Play at Home vs. No. 42 Iowa State, Friday
3/11/2021 2:13:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Bears’ journey for conference title starts Friday
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Joey Scrivano is always looking ahead and doesn't like to live in the past, but it's hard to forget what happened a year ago when the rest of the college athletics year was canceled because of COVID-19.
"I'm not immune to reflecting on what's happened. It definitely increases just your appreciation for this opportunity to be a part of college athletics," said Scrivano, whose 12th-ranked Baylor women's tennis team (12-2) will host No. 42 Iowa State (8-2) in Friday's Big 12 opener at noon at the Hurd Tennis Center.
"I'm just super grateful. I told myself every day, if we get another opportunity, we're going to make it count and we're going to be so grateful for every single situation that comes up. And I think you can see that with our student-athletes – their resiliency and their willingness to push through is just amazing."
Before the shutdown, the Bears were off to a 10-2 start and opened conference play with 6-1 wins over Iowa State and West Virginia. A year later, they're opening with those same two teams again, facing West Virginia at noon Sunday.
"The word we've used a lot is gratitude," said first-year associate head coach Lenka Broosova, a five-time All-American who was just inducted into the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame. "This should change the way you play, like you don't know if you're going to have another chance. And I think you see that from the girls, they're leaving everything out there."
While juniors Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana and senior Jessica Hinojosa have consistently been in the Nos. 1-3 singles spots for the Bears, junior Livia has been the automatic with an 11-0 mark, including 6-0 at No. 4.
"Livia is amazing," Scrivano said. "Just like any player, you have to find their role and then they have to embrace their role. Livia is incredible at her position. If we were to move her up in the lineup, possibly she could do exactly what she's doing, but maybe not. But, what's really great about Livia is she's played a lot of different positions at Baylor. She'll be the first to tell you, I could care less where I play. It's, how can I help the team reach its ultimate goals?"
Baylor's only two losses have come against second-ranked Texas, falling 4-0 in the ITA Kickoff Weekend and 6-1 in a non-conference match last Saturday in Waco. Kraus got the only point for the Bears with a straight-set win at No. 5, but Herrero Linana, Angelina Shakhraichuk and Paula Baranano all went three sets.
"That was really just kind of gauging where we stand against a team of that caliber," Scrivano said. "If everything went perfectly, we could have won that match back in January. And same thing with this last match. If things went a little more our way, we potentially could win that match. Ultimately, we want to get to the point where it's not a possibility, it's a probability.
"We're not focused on the outcome, we've got to grow. And if we do that, the probability is very good that this team is going to do something special down the stretch."
Baylor will host two more conference matches at home next weekend, facing No. 32 Oklahoma and No. 22 Oklahoma State, before playing five-straight on the road. The Bears will play the Longhorns again on Sunday, March 28, in Austin, then close out the regular season with a matchup against No. 33 Texas Tech on April 18 in Lubbock.
"It's going to take time to get to that level where we can beat a team like Texas," Scrivano said. "And we know that. But, every day we're putting in the work and we're adding the pieces that are necessary to beat teams like that and ultimately reach our goal of winning a national championship."
Live stats and video streaming of both matches this weekend are available at baylorbears.com.
WACO, Texas – The No. 12-ranked Baylor women's tennis team opens Big 12 play Friday at the Hurd Tennis Center vs. Iowa State at Noon. Baylor (12-2) hosts the Cyclones (8-2) in the league opener for both teams.
Baylor is 25-1 all-time vs. Iowa State with the Cyclones' only win coming April 14, 2019. ISU started the season 7-0 before dropping two of the last three with losses at Missouri and Kansas. The Cyclones are coming off a win, however, beating Drake Saturday.
The Bears are coming off a non-conference win over Big 12 foe and No. 29-ranked Texas Tech, Sunday. Baylor took a 4-2 win, and this season's only losses for the Bears have come to Texas.
Baylor will be in search of its first regular-season Big 12 Championship since 2015. Admission Friday is free but limited to 25 percent capacity.
Baylor will provide live stats and live video coverage on BaylorBears.com. Follow Baylor women's tennis on social media @BaylorWTennis on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all season long.
Baylor Bear Insider
Joey Scrivano is always looking ahead and doesn't like to live in the past, but it's hard to forget what happened a year ago when the rest of the college athletics year was canceled because of COVID-19.
"I'm not immune to reflecting on what's happened. It definitely increases just your appreciation for this opportunity to be a part of college athletics," said Scrivano, whose 12th-ranked Baylor women's tennis team (12-2) will host No. 42 Iowa State (8-2) in Friday's Big 12 opener at noon at the Hurd Tennis Center.
"I'm just super grateful. I told myself every day, if we get another opportunity, we're going to make it count and we're going to be so grateful for every single situation that comes up. And I think you can see that with our student-athletes – their resiliency and their willingness to push through is just amazing."
Before the shutdown, the Bears were off to a 10-2 start and opened conference play with 6-1 wins over Iowa State and West Virginia. A year later, they're opening with those same two teams again, facing West Virginia at noon Sunday.
"The word we've used a lot is gratitude," said first-year associate head coach Lenka Broosova, a five-time All-American who was just inducted into the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame. "This should change the way you play, like you don't know if you're going to have another chance. And I think you see that from the girls, they're leaving everything out there."
While juniors Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana and senior Jessica Hinojosa have consistently been in the Nos. 1-3 singles spots for the Bears, junior Livia has been the automatic with an 11-0 mark, including 6-0 at No. 4.
"Livia is amazing," Scrivano said. "Just like any player, you have to find their role and then they have to embrace their role. Livia is incredible at her position. If we were to move her up in the lineup, possibly she could do exactly what she's doing, but maybe not. But, what's really great about Livia is she's played a lot of different positions at Baylor. She'll be the first to tell you, I could care less where I play. It's, how can I help the team reach its ultimate goals?"
Baylor's only two losses have come against second-ranked Texas, falling 4-0 in the ITA Kickoff Weekend and 6-1 in a non-conference match last Saturday in Waco. Kraus got the only point for the Bears with a straight-set win at No. 5, but Herrero Linana, Angelina Shakhraichuk and Paula Baranano all went three sets.
"That was really just kind of gauging where we stand against a team of that caliber," Scrivano said. "If everything went perfectly, we could have won that match back in January. And same thing with this last match. If things went a little more our way, we potentially could win that match. Ultimately, we want to get to the point where it's not a possibility, it's a probability.
"We're not focused on the outcome, we've got to grow. And if we do that, the probability is very good that this team is going to do something special down the stretch."
Baylor will host two more conference matches at home next weekend, facing No. 32 Oklahoma and No. 22 Oklahoma State, before playing five-straight on the road. The Bears will play the Longhorns again on Sunday, March 28, in Austin, then close out the regular season with a matchup against No. 33 Texas Tech on April 18 in Lubbock.
"It's going to take time to get to that level where we can beat a team like Texas," Scrivano said. "And we know that. But, every day we're putting in the work and we're adding the pieces that are necessary to beat teams like that and ultimately reach our goal of winning a national championship."
Live stats and video streaming of both matches this weekend are available at baylorbears.com.
WACO, Texas – The No. 12-ranked Baylor women's tennis team opens Big 12 play Friday at the Hurd Tennis Center vs. Iowa State at Noon. Baylor (12-2) hosts the Cyclones (8-2) in the league opener for both teams.
Baylor is 25-1 all-time vs. Iowa State with the Cyclones' only win coming April 14, 2019. ISU started the season 7-0 before dropping two of the last three with losses at Missouri and Kansas. The Cyclones are coming off a win, however, beating Drake Saturday.
The Bears are coming off a non-conference win over Big 12 foe and No. 29-ranked Texas Tech, Sunday. Baylor took a 4-2 win, and this season's only losses for the Bears have come to Texas.
Baylor will be in search of its first regular-season Big 12 Championship since 2015. Admission Friday is free but limited to 25 percent capacity.
Baylor will provide live stats and live video coverage on BaylorBears.com. Follow Baylor women's tennis on social media @BaylorWTennis on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram all season long.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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