No. 1 MT Faces No. 14 Ole Miss in NCAA Round of 16

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Looking back on a two-day stretch in January when his Baylor tennis team beat fourth-ranked Texas, 4-0, on the road and came back to lose to No. 3 TCU, 4-1, at the Hawkins Indoor, Michael Woodson guesses that "most coaches probably wouldn't schedule like that."
            You think?
            The first-year Baylor head coach certainly hasn't been shy about playing tough competition. Top-ranked and second-seeded Baylor (31-4) has seven top-10 wins this season and is 15-4 versus ranked opponents, including an 8-4 mark against teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 in Orlando, Fla.
            "I felt like that was a really good thing for us to experience," said Woodson, whose Bears will face 14^th-ranked and 15^th-seeded Ole Miss (13-10) at 12 noon CT Monday at the USTA National Campus for a spot in the quarterfinals. "Frankly, I probably wouldn't (have scheduled it like that) if it wasn't because of this type of team and the makeup of the guys. But, I think it's going to serve us well."
             Junior Matias Soto said the Bears are better prepared now for a challenging stretch that could see them play three top-10 teams in a row if they get past Ole Miss.
            "I came here to play the best teams," said Soto, who is 11^th in the ITA singles rankings, "and it's fun to have that kind of a schedule where you play Texas and TCU and those tougher teams all the time. And now, we could see those teams again, and it's not going to be anything new. It's just one more opportunity to show everyone that Baylor is going for it, is going for the title."
            Despite the No. 1 ranking, the Bears are going into the Round of 16 with a chip on their shoulder after second-ranked Florida (22-2) got the overall No. 1 seed for the NCAA Championship.
            "I think that gives us an opportunity to go out and play with freedom and just give it everything we've got," said Charlie Broom, a grad transfer from Dartmouth who was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
            Throughout the year, Woodson said, Baylor has "been counted out a few times."
            "Nobody really talks about this team like they are as good as they actually are," he said. "I feel like that's really helped us. And then, the NCAA did us a solid by giving us the No. 2 seed. It just allowed us to kind of keep that discussion going, keep that chip strong and in the front of their minds."
            There's also the chip of losing to North Carolina, 4-1, in the final of the ITA National Indoor Championship back in February.
            "I think it also just helped to be in that situation, to feel those nerves," Woodson said. "Ole Miss may come out and play extremely well and take it to us, but knowing that we've been in those situations and they really haven't – they haven't played in championships, they haven't played at the end of tournaments like we have.
            "I feel like that will give us a little bit more of a comfort and a little bit of confidence going into those situations. And we are certainly very motivated, because that wasn't a fun way to end what was a great ride."
            Ole Miss leads the all-time series with Baylor, 5-3, pulling out 4-3 victories in 2016 and 2018. While Baylor has a pair of top-25 players at the top of the lineup in juniors Adrian Boitan (21^st) and Soto, the Rebels boast a trio of ranked players in Finn Reynolds (16^th), Nikola Slavic (29^th) and Tim Sandkaulen (32^nd).
            In its last trip to the Sweet 16, Ole Miss upset fourth-seeded Stanford, 4-3, after a first-round win over a Duke team that included Baylor's Nick Stachowiak and Ryan Dickerson. Playing at No. 6 singles, Dickerson beat Reynolds in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, while Stachowiak fell to Sandkaulen, 6-3, 6-4, at No. 2.
            Baylor, seeking its 14^th NCAA Tournament quarterfinal, defeated UCLA, 4-1, in a Super Regional two years ago in Waco before falling to third-seeded Florida, 4-0, in the quarterfinals in Orlando.
            "I think we are better prepared this year. This team can win it all," Soto said. "I think for me and (Boitan, Sven Lah and Constantin Frantzen) that were there in 2019 in Orlando, it's just a different opportunity for us to show everyone that we are better prepared and this team is ready. We are better prepared mentally, physically and, of course, in tennis."

ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 1-ranked and second-seeded Baylor men's tennis team faces 14^th-ranked and 15^th-seeded Ole Miss on Monday at Noon CT in the NCAA Round of 16 at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

The Bears (31-4) advanced to the Sweet 16 following a pair of 4-0 sweeps in the first and second rounds against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and No. 37 Oregon, respectively. Meanwhile, the Rebels (13-10) defeated Belmont and Tulane with two sweeps in the Oxford Regional.

This marks Baylor's 19^th appearance in the Round of 16 in program history and also the 17^th time in the last 19 postseasons that the Bears have advanced past the second round. It's the third time in the last four postseasons that BU will compete for a spot in the NCAA quarterfinals.

Baylor is 61-21 all-time in NCAA Championship play and 13-5 all-time in the Round of 16. As the No. 2 seed, BU is 9-2 in the NCAA Championship.

Ole Miss holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series against Baylor, including 4-3 wins in each of the last two meetings coming in 2016 and 2018. The two sides have never met in the postseason.

BU enters the Round of 16 on a five-match winning streak, which included the 2021 Big 12 Tournament Championship in Waco on April 25-26. The Bears have won 15 of their last 16 matches, dating back to March 11.

Baylor boasts a 15-4 record against ranked opponents this season and is a combined 8-4 against teams remaining in the NCAA tournament field.

BU is 27-8 in the doubles point this season and is 26-1 in matches when winning the opening tally. Currently, the Bears are a combined 148-30 (.831) in singles play and 68-23 (.747) in doubles dual matches.

Ryan Dickerson leads the team with a 12-match singles winning streak, while Spencer Furman carries an 11-match singles winning streak. Adrian Boitan has won 11 of his last 12 matches at No. 1 singles, including each of the last three clinching points for the Bears. In doubles, Matias Soto and Nick Stachowiak lead the team with a six-match win streak.

Live stats will be provided here, while live video coverage will be available via the TennisONE app and website with select matches being broadcast on the Tennis Channel over the course of the championship's remaining rounds.

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

NCAA TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
(USTA National Campus, Orlando, Fla.)

Round of 16:
Monday, May 17:
No. 2 seed Baylor (31-4) vs. No. 15 seed Ole Miss, Noon CT

Quarterfinals
Thursday, May 20:
Baylor/Ole Miss winner vs. TCU/Ohio State winner, TBD

-BaylorBears.com-

No. 1 MT Faces No. 14 Ole Miss in NCAA Round of 16

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Players Mentioned

Adrian Boitan

Charlie Broom

Ryan Dickerson

Constantin Frantzen

Spencer Furman

Sven Lah

Matias Soto

Nick Stachowiak

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