No. 33 Baylor WT Sweeps TCU, 7-0

Thursday, March 10

Waco, Texas

12 PM

Baylor

TCU

No. 33 Baylor WT Sweeps TCU, 7-0

3/10/2022 4:56:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score BU WT 14 Box Score 2022

Bears open conference slate with a win

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            After taking its lumps early, the 33^rd-ranked Baylor women's tennis team seems to be trending in the right direction.
            Opening conference play, the Bears (10-4, 1-0) won a tight doubles point and six straight-set singles matches in beating TCU, 7-0, Thursday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center.
            "We've had a lot of setbacks this season. And in the back of our minds, we've just been thinking about the stretch run, and using those setbacks as set-ups for this Big 12 regular season," said coach Joey Scrivano, whose team has won four-straight and eight of its last nine.
            "I think today was a great example of how this team has grown. You could see it in their body language, the way they carried themselves between points. They're a really mentally tough team."
            That toughness was tested early, when the fifth-ranked tandem of Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero failed to close out TCU's Mercedes Aristegui and Isabel Pascual at No. 1, getting broken at 5-4 with a chance to clinch the opening point.
            New pairings at 3 and 2 helped put the first point on the board for the Bears, with Paula Baranano and Alina Shcherbinina defeating Alisa Soloveva and Jade Otway, 6-3, and freshmen AC Zamburek and Anita Sahdiieva outlasting Aleksa Cveticanin and Stevie Kennedy, 7-5.
            "Doubles is always tough, because it's short, it's one set and the margins are really tiny," Scrivano said. "I was really proud of the way our 2 and 3 teams fought through all the ups and downs. And at 1, they've been phenomenal all year. So, they're going to have some days when they're playing with their 'B' game."
            Herrero, who clinched it with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Aristegui at No. 2, said the Bears were able to "forget about the doubles" when the singles started.
            "If you're thinking about the past, it's a point that's already on the score," Herrero said. "Maybe it's up, maybe it's down, but I don't think it helps to think about the past. We figured it out, and we were able to respond in a positive way."
            Particularly dominant at the top of the lineup, the Bears lost just 12 games combined at Nos. 1-4 singles. After the 123^rd-ranked Shcherbinina breezed to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Otway at No. 4, the upperclassmen trio of Alabama transfer Isabella Harvison and seniors Herrero and Krywoj took care of business for             Baylor's fourth-straight win over the Frogs (8-6, 0-1).
            After moving players up and down in the lineup through the pre-conference matches, Scrivano has settled on Harvison, Herrero and Krywoj in the top three spots, followed by Shcherbinina, Sahdiieva and Baranano.
            "That's a part of solving the puzzle is just moving the pieces and allowing players to play in different positions and see what they can handle, what they're ready for," Scrivano said.
            "Typically, we like to have upperclassmen play higher, if possible. And that's what we have right now. We have a good blend with older players, very experienced, in our top three, then players with a really bright future at 4, 5, 6 and 7. For us, that's been a really successful pathway to building a team."
            Krywoj cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 win over Cveticanin at No. 2, followed closely by Herrero and Harvison, who seemed to pick up steam in beating Soloveva, 6-4, 6-2, on Court 1.
            "We were getting ready for this (Big 12 play)," Herrero said. "I think struggling at the beginning is great, so that we're super ready for conference and what matters the most now. We just have to take care of our bodies and mental health and keep pushing as hard as we can now. And for sure, great things are going to happen. I really believe that."
            With the match already decided, Sahdiieva and Baranano completed the sweep with straight-set wins at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively. A hard-hitting lefty, Sahdiieva bounced back from a pair of service breaks to defeat Kennedy, 6-2, 6-4, at 5, then Baranano dominated a second-set tiebreaker in finishing off Pascual, 6-2, 7-6(3) on Court 6.
            "Anita is a player with a really high ceiling," Scrivano said. "She's learning how to compete, she's learning how to become a better performer. And when she puts all those things in place, she's one heck of a tennis player. It's exciting to see."
            Baylor finishes off a four-match homestand with Sunday's 1 p.m. matchup with Texas Tech (7-4, 0-0) at the Hurd Tennis Center. The Lady Raiders snapped a three-match losing streak with a 4-2 win over SMU and will play No. 8 Texas on Friday in Austin before coming to Waco.

THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – No. 33 Baylor (10-4, 1-0) opened Big 12 play with a 7-0 sweep over TCU Thursday afternoon at Hurd Tennis Center. It marked the second-straight season, and fifth time overall – that the Bears began league play with a 7-0 victory.

For the 12^th time this season, Baylor clinched the doubles point. Paula Barañano and Alina Shcherbinina defeated Alisa Soloveva and Jade Otway, 6-3 to give the Bears an edge before Ana Carmen Zamburek and Anita Sahdiieva clinched the point with a 7-5 win over Aleksa Cveticanin and Stevie Kennedy.

In singles, No. 123 Shcherbinina made quick work of Otway with a 6-2, 6-0 win ono court four. Mel Krywoj was right behind her with a 6-2, 6-0 win of her own on court three over Cveticanin. Alicia Herrero clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Mercedes Aristegui on court two.

Isabella Harvison then defeated Soloveva, 6-4, 6-2, on court one. Courts five and six closed things out for the Bears as Sahdiieva won 6-2, 6-4 over Kennedy, and Barañano won, 6-2, 7-6(3) over Isabel Pascual.

HIGHLIGHTS

Baylor has won the doubles point in 12 matches this season.
Alina Shcherbinina has won a team-best 12 matches.
Paula Barañano also had double-digit wins on the season with 11.

TOP QUOTE
Joey Scrivano on the match…
"Yeah, doubles is always tough, because it's short, it's one set, and the margins are really tiny. But we responded in the right way. … In singles, just really proud of their focus. Their energy was really high, and our ability to focus is a big deal. That's where our future is going to be, it's all going to be determined by our focus level."

UP NEXT
No. 33 Baylor hosts Texas Tech at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Hurd Tennis Center.

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