No. 2 MT Drops Senior Day Contest to No. 7 Texas

Thursday, April 15

Waco, Texas

6:00 p.m.

Baylor

Texas

No. 2 MT Drops Senior Day Contest to No. 7 Texas

4/15/2021 10:51:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

BU’s 10-match win streak snapped, still has chance at Big 12 regular-season title

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Even after losing the doubles point and dropping four first sets in singles, the second-ranked Baylor men's tennis team was in position to beat No. 7 Texas for the third-straight time this season.
            But, the Longhorns (18-4, 3-1) pulled out a couple three-setters and handed the Bears (26-4, 3-1) their first loss in five weeks, 5-2, Thursday night at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
            "I felt like we were fine going into singles," said interim head coach Michael Woodson, whose team had a 10-match winning streak snapped. "I thought (Texas) was a little hungrier than we were and they got up on four courts pretty fast and evened the other ones a little too much for us to overcome tonight."
            In doubles, the Longhorns got the early heads-up when the 19^th-ranked duo of Sven Lah and Constantin Frantzen fell to 10^th-ranked Eliot Spizzirri and Siem Woldeab, 6-3. Nick Stachowiak and Matias Soto evened it with a 7-6(4) win over Cleeve Harper and Chih Chi Huang at No. 2, but the Longhorns took the 1-0 lead when Charlie Broom and Finn Bass fell at No. 3 to Micah Braswell and Payton Holder, 7-6(0).
            "I think it was a tough way to start in that we broke one time on three courts and played two tiebreakers, which means we were really serving quite well and executing," Woodson said. "I felt like we were putting the ball in play in big situations . . . we just needed to trust ourselves to execute and finish. And we just didn't. When you get to two tiebreakers, it's tough to win them both."
            Texas took control by winning four first sets in singles, but Spencer Furman squared the match with a straight-set win at No. 6, beating Evin McDonald, 6-0, 6-3.
            Trailing Harper 6-1, 3-0, Lah battled back to win a second-set tiebreaker at No. 4 singles and give the Bears a chance for the comeback.
            "I think emotionally he found the right focus," Woodson said. "He hit his flow there as he applied some pressure to the other guy."
            The Longhorns got the momentum back, though, with straight-set wins at Nos. 1 and 3 singles to go up 3-1. Spizzirri used early breaks in both sets to defeat Adrian Boitan, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 1, then Woldeab served out a 6-4, 6-4 win over Stachowiak at No. 3.
            "I felt like Adrian was playing good enough tennis today to win," Woodson said. "Eliot's a great player, there's no doubt. He was the No. 1 American recruit in the country two years ago for a reason. That being said, I like Adrian up against anybody in the country. His tennis was not the problem. I think he was fighting himself a little bit too much, and it got the best of him tonight."
            After a second-set loss, Soto came back to get another point on the board for the Bears, defeating the 26^th-ranked Braswell, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, at No. 2.
            With the Bears needing to win the last two matches to pull it out, Lah jumped out to a 3-1 lead at No. 4 and Broom had a chance to get back on serve at No. 5 with three break points. But, Huang got back to 40-40 with a couple winners and clinched it with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 win on a service ace when Broom's out call was overturned by the chair umpire.
            "There were plenty of opportunities there, and I felt like some things didn't go his way," Woodson said of Broom. "That's sports, it's tough. He beat that guy twice already this year, it's really tough to beat somebody three times."
            The team match decided, Harper rallied to win the last five games and defeated Lah, 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-3.
            "We were in a good position up 3-1 in the third," Woodson said of Lah. "When Charlie finished, I felt like the bubble burst. And that's not OK. I'm not pleased with that. But, it's a big change when the match ends. The whole dynamic shifts."
            Following the match, Baylor honored its five seniors – Broom, Stachowiak, Furman, Frantzen and Ryan Dickerson.
            Despite the loss, Baylor can still claim a share of its first Big 12 regular-season title in six years with a win over No. 6 TCU (14-5, 3-0) in Sunday's 3 p.m. match in Fort Worth.
            "Exactly what Texas is feeling tonight is what we're feeling having lost to TCU earlier this year and feeling like we let one slip away," Woodson said. "The target is going to be on their backs now, which we're certainly excited about. But, we will have some things to improve and focus on before we get ready for that match."

THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – No. 2 Baylor men's tennis fell to No. 7 Texas at home Thursday night, dropping a 5-2 contest at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center in Waco.

The Bears (26-4, 3-1) saw their 10-match win streak come to an end at the hands of the Longhorns (18-4, 3-1), who notched their first victory in three tries over BU this season.

UT stole the doubles point after tight matches on all three courts. UT's No. 10-ranked pair of Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab defeated BU's No. 19 team of Constantin Frantzen/Sven Lah 6-3 on court one, but Baylor evened it up with No. 67 Matias Soto/Nick Stachowiak's win on two, 7-6(4) over No. 76 Cleeve Harper/Chih Chi Huang.

The Longhorns' duo of Micah Braswell/Payton Holden outlasted Finn Bass/Charlie Broom in a 7-0 tiebreaker to seal the 7-6 victory and clinch the doubles point.

Over in singles, the Bears struck first with Spencer Furman's 6-0, 6-3 victory on court six over Evin McDonald, but simultaneous wins by No. 20 Spizzirri and No. 81 Woldeab gave UT a 3-1 match lead. Spizzirri took a 6-3, 6-4 decision against No. 53 Adrian Boitan, while Woldeab grabbed a straight-set 6-4, 6-4 win over Stachowiak.

Baylor kept its hopes alive with No. 16 Soto's court two win, a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 tilt against No. 26 Braswell, but it was Huang who clinched it for the Longhorns with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 defeat of Broom on court five. The final match to finish was No. 124 Harper over Lah on three in a 6-1, 6-7(7), 6-3 bout.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor's 10-match win streak was snapped by the Longhorns, their first win over the Bears in three attempts this season.
• BU is now 23-7 in the doubles point this season and is now 4-3 in matches when dropping the opening tally.
• The Bears are a combined 131-24 in singles play this year and 60-21 in doubles duals this spring.
• Charlie Broom, Ryan Dickerson, Constantin Frantzen, Spencer Furman and Nick Stachowiak were each honored as part of Baylor's Senior Day ceremony.

STAT OF THE MATCH
10 – Baylor's 10-match win streak was snapped in the loss.

TOP QUOTES
Interim head coach Michael Woodson
On tonight's match…
"Doubles was a tough way to start in that we broke one time on three courts and played two tiebreakers, which means we were really serving quite well. I felt like we were putting the ball in play in big situations, but we need to trust ourselves to execute and finish, and we just didn't. I felt like we were fine going into singles. For them, I thought they were a little hungrier than we were, a little more excited, and they got up on four courts pretty fast and evened the other ones a little too much for us to overcome tonight."

WHAT'S NEXT
No. 2 Baylor (26-4, 3-1) will still play for at least a share of the Big 12 regular-season title in its match at No. 6 TCU (14-5, 3-0) on Sunday, April 18, at 3 p.m. CT.

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

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