No. 21 WT Readies for Big 12 Championships

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Joey Scrivano didn't have to dig too deep into his stack of scouting reports to find information on fifth-seeded and 27^th-ranked Kansas (14-9).
            Just 12 days after a 4-3 win over the Jayhawks that came down to a three-setter at No. 6 singles, fourth-seeded and 21^st-ranked Baylor (15-7) will play Kansas for the third time this season in Friday's Big 12 Championship quarterfinal at 9 a.m. at TCU's Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center in Fort Worth.
            "We prefer that, honestly," said Scrivano, who won the last of his eight Big 12 tournament titles seven years ago. "Information is a good thing, and we have plenty of information on the Jayhawks. And they, of course, have it on us. But, I would much rather go into a match and prepare the athletes for, here's what's coming, here's the tendencies and patterns. And typically, when we have good information, our team uses it very well."
            Three months ago, the Bears rolled over Kansas, 4-1, in the opening round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Hurd Tennis Center. The April 10 rematch proved to be much tighter, with Baylor senior Paula Baranano pulling out a 7-6 (3), 6-7(3), 6-3 win over Tiffany Lagarde to clinch a 4-3 victory.
            Now, "everything is ratcheted up" in the Big 12 tournament. A year ago, Baylor ran through TCU and Iowa State before falling to eventual national champion Texas, 4-0, in the final.
            "This matchup with Kansas, they know us well, we know them well, the margins are going to be even smaller than they normally are," Scrivano said. "It's just a different level of intensity. That's why you play the whole season is to get to the postseason and get into these types of matches."
            While Baylor has experience at the top of the lineup with Alabama transfer Isabella Harvison and seniors Alicia Herrero Linana and Mel Krwoj, the Bears have been strongest at the bottom half with freshmen Alina Shcherbinina and Anita Sahdiieva and Baranano all recording double-digit wins at Nos. 4, 5 and 6 singles.
            "By this stage, you are kind of locked into your lineup," Scrivano said. "For the most part, it will be the same matchups. They changed up the doubles, so that will be different. But, like I said, we'll have really good information. That will be a variable that we won't have to worry about. We know what they're going to do, so now it just comes down to executing."
            While Baylor goes into the tournament coming off a loss, last Saturday's 4-3 loss to fourth-ranked Texas proved that the Bears can compete with the best. It came down to three three-setters, with Shcherbinina and Herrero Linana winning on Courts 2 and 4, respectively, while Sahdiieva got broken twice late in a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 loss to Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5.
            "We've been saying, we're right there," Scrivano said. "But for whatever reason, on match day, we haven't had the right mindset. We had the right mindset on Saturday, and it showed on the scoreboard as well. So, if we continue with that mindset, if we respond the right way this weekend, we could be hoisting that trophy on Sunday."
            In Friday's other quarterfinals, second-seeded Texas faces seventh-seeded Iowa State at 9 a.m., followed by top-seeded Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Kansas State and third-seeded Oklahoma State vs. sixth-seeded Texas at noon.
            "Texas is the defending national champs, and Oklahoma is the Big 12 regular-season champs," Scrivano said. "Those two programs have proven they can compete at this level. But, I do think there are other teams that can do well, including us. I think our last match against Texas, we made a statement: We've improved a lot, we're getting closer, and this week we can break through. So, that's the plan."

FORT WORTH, Texas – The No. 21 Baylor women's tennis team will compete as the No. 4 seed in the 2022 Big 12 Championships and face No. 5 seed Kansas Friday at 9 a.m. at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center on the TCU campus.

Baylor is 37-16 all-time at the Big 12 Championships with eight titles, all under head coach Joey Scrivano.

Friday morning with mark the third time this season that the Bears and Jayhawks will face off. BU has won each of those meetings with the most recent contest lasting nearly five hours with Baylor prevailing, 4-3.

Baylor continues to be led by its senior class of Alicia Herrero, Mel Krywoj and Paula Baranano. The duo of Herrero and Krywoj is fourth nationally with a 15-4 record this spring. Herrero came in at No. 103 in this week's ITA rankings and is coming off a three-set win over No. 49 Kylie Collins of Texas. Baranano, whose three-set thriller on court six clinched the victory for BU over Kansas less than two weeks ago, is 16-5 this spring.

It's not only the seniors putting in work for the Bears as a trio of freshmen continue to impress. The duo of Ana Carmen Zamburek and Anita Sahdiieva are 4-4 this spring on court two.

In singles action, Alina Shcherbinina leads the Bears with a 17-4 record. Sahdiieva also has double-digit wins with a 14-6 record.

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

No. 21 WT Readies for Big 12 Championships

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Players Mentioned

Isabella Harvison

Alicia Herrero Linana

Mel Krywoj

Anita Sahdiieva

Alina Shcherbinina

Ana Carmen Zamburek

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