No. 11 WT Opens 2022 Campaign

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            With only three returning players from last year's 24-5 team, including "super" seniors Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana, the 11^th-ranked Baylor women's tennis team will definitely have to lean on a talented freshman class.
            The Bears could have three freshmen in the lineup when they open the spring season at this weekend's Bella the Ball Collegiate Invitational in Las Vegas, facing BYU at 2 p.m. Saturday and Illinois at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the Darling Tennis Center.
            "When we recruited them, they knew what they were coming into," associate head coach Lenka Broosova said. "They know how special this program is, and they just took it on. And they're learning from Allie, Mel and Paula (Baranano). It's been super-exciting to see them grow every day. With the super seniors and five freshmen, it's exciting to see them mesh together."
            Along with departing senior Jessica Hinojosa, Krywoj and Herrero gave Baylor a strong top half of the lineup last season, while Baranano was a combined 14-4 at Nos. 4-6 singles. Krywoj earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in singles and doubles, compiling an overall singles record of 19-11 and winning a combined 17 matches at No. 1 doubles with Herrero and Angie Shakhraichuk.
            Returning to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018, Baylor was the runner-up to eventual national champion Texas in the Big 12 and seeded eighth in the NCAA Tournament, losing to 18^th-ranked Duke, 4-3, in the second round.
            The Bears were picked second in the Big 12 coaches' preseason poll and ranked 11^th in the ITA preseason poll that was released last week.
            "The expectations are super-high," said Herrero, who teamed with Krywoj in the fall to win the ITA Regional and reach the semifinals at the ITA Fall Nationals, earning a No. 4 national ranking. "We want to win a national championship. Obviously, it's not going to be easy. Every day when we get on the court, or we're in the gym sessions, we try to do our best and get better and push every person on this team."
            One of the highlights of the fall was freshman Alina Shcherbinina from Russia winning the Flight A singles title at the Big 12 Individuals in Stillwater, Okla., defeating Kansas State's Rosanna Maffei, 6-4, 6-3, in the final. That was part of a six-match winning streak for Shcherbinina, who had a career-best ITF junior ranking of No. 29 last April.
            Joining Shcherbinina in the freshman class are Anita Sahdieva from the Ukraine, Ana Carmen Zamburek from the Dominican Republic, Olivia Malm from Sweden and Brooke Thompson, a two-time Class 5A state singles champion in Oklahoma. Thompson is the daughter of the late Brooks Thompson, an NBA first-round draft pick who was the head basketball coach for 10 years at UTSA.
            "It's like a fresh air in our team right now," Herrero said of the five freshmen, "and they are super-talented. And you can see, they are like my sisters."
            Zamburek recorded wins over ranked players from SMU and Texas A&M, while Malm had a four-match win streak in the fall and beat Arizona's Kayla Meraz at the H-E-B Invitational to pick up her first collegiate victory. Sahdieva had her best tournament at the Big 12 Individuals, making the doubles final with Shcherbinina.
            Coming back from an injury that sidelined her through most of the fall semester, junior Isabella Harvison gives the Bears another veteran player. Ranked No. 48 in the ITA preseason poll before her injury, Harvison played primarily at the No. 2 singles position for Alabama two years ago, going 16-7 in singles and 14-4 in doubles for the Crimson Tide.
            Beginning his 20^th season at Baylor and 23^rd as a collegiate head coach, Joey Scrivano has a career record of 475-175 with 19 NCAA Tournament berths, a combined 19 Big 12 regular-season and tournament titles and Final Four berths in 2008 and 2011.
            A challenging schedule includes a non-conference matchup against top-ranked Texas on Feb. 2, hosting the ITA Kickoff Weekend on Jan. 28-30 and a Florida swing in late February with matches at No. 20 Florida and 12^th-ranked UCF, a future Big 12 opponent.
            The Bears will face another future Big 12 foe in Saturday's matchup against BYU. Baylor is 4-0 all-time against the Cougars, including an NCAA Tournament win in 2005 in Provo, Utah.
            "We encourage the girls to stay in the present and take every opponent the same way," Broosova said. "Every match is the same. There are no strong matches, there are no weak matches. We're just looking to get better and maximize every day."

LAS VEGAS – No. 11 Baylor women's tennis begins its 2022 season at the Bella the Ball Collegiate Invitational in Las Vegas, Nev. The Bears open up against BYU on Saturday before taking on Illinois on Sunday.

"The girls have been working really hard and staying in the present," associate head coach Lenka Broosova said. "They're excited to get going and show what they've been working on. We'll just focus on one day at a time and really show off their hard work."

Baylor – ranked second in the Preseason Big 12 Poll by the league's coaches – welcomes back a trio of key contributors from last season's NCAA Tournament team in Mel Krywoj, Alicia Herrero Linana and Paula Baranano.

Krywoj and Herrero Linana each had successful fall seasons as the duo won the ITA Texas Regional before finishing as ITA Fall National semifinalists. The duo earned a No. 4 ranking in the final ITA poll in December.

Additionally, Herrero was runner up in singles at the ITA Texas Regional and competed at nationals.

"I guess now is the fun part," Herrero said. "The fall was more about getting better and getting to know each other since we have five new people on our team. But yeah, for sure, we're super excited to play together."

Along with junior Isabella Harvison who had to sit out the 2021 spring slate after transferring from Alabama, Baylor welcomes five freshmen to the lineup this season.

Alina Shcherbinina – who won Flight A of the Big 12 Individuals in November – is expected to be a key contributor alongside Anita Sahdiieva. Ana Carmen Zamburek, Olivia Malm and Brooke Thompson each earned key experience in the fall.

"Being a freshman and having that fresh blood and excitement is big," Broosova said. "So, we're expecting everyone to have a big role and play their part, and those things together will I'm sure be the recipe for success."

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

No. 11 WT Opens 2022 Campaign

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Players Mentioned

Isabella Harvison

Alicia Herrero Linana

Jessica Hinojosa

Mel Krywoj

Olivia Malm

Anita Sahdiieva

Alina Shcherbinina

Brooke Thompson

Ana Carmen Zamburek

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