No. 4 MT Hosts No. 44 Oklahoma State

Friday, April 8

Waco, Texas

6PM

Baylor

Oklahoma State

No. 4 MT Hosts No. 44 Oklahoma State

4/7/2022 8:26:00 PM | Men's Tennis

Live Stats Watch

Bears face Cowboys under the lights on Friday night

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Ranked No. 4 for the second-straight week, Baylor men's tennis (19-3, 1-1) will try to bounce from its first home loss in almost a year when the Bears host 44^th-ranked Oklahoma State (11-7, 0-1) at 6 p.m. Friday at the Hurd Tennis Center.
            Five days ago, in a match that ultimately decided the No. 1 spot in this week's ITA rankings, Baylor lost to TCU, 4-3, in the Bears' first home loss of the season.
            "Sometimes, losses are opportunities for us to kind of dig into certain things with the players that maybe on a day with a good win you don't really go there," assistant coach Izak van der Merwe said. "I think we were really productive this week and worked on some specifics that we felt like maybe let us down a little bit on the weekend."
            Baylor has won four-straight against Oklahoma State, which has won four of its last five matches and coming off a 4-2 win over then-No. 32 Tulsa. The Cowboys lost to No. 34 Oklahoma, 4-3, in their conference opener last Friday in Norman.
            "This weekend, we have two good matches against two very good teams," said Matias Soto, who is 38^th in the updated ITA singles rankings. "If we're not ready, it's going to hurt us. We must be ready from the first point, and I think we will be. We still have a chance to do well for the rest of the season."
            The Bears will see some familiar faces on the other side of the court. Former Baylor players Alex Garcia, Sebastian Nothhaft and Joseph Chen transferred to OSU to play for first-year head coach Dustin Taylor. Garcia is 7-6 at No. 2, Chen is 2-4 at No. 6 and Nothhaft is a combined 7-11 at Nos. 1-4 with a No. 26 doubles ranking with Tyler Zink.
            "Off the court, we can be friends," said Sven Lah, who's ranked No. 4 in doubles with Finn Bass and 73^rd in singles. "Obviously, once the match starts, it's going to be a little bit different mentality. I think it's more about respect and competing against each other and staying within the lines."
            Adrian Boitan, who heads up the Baylor lineup at No. 1 singes, is ranked fourth nationally with a perfect 15-0 dual-match record and 17-1 overall. Bass (114^th) and TCU transfer Tadeas Paroulek (121^st) are also ranked in singles, while Soto and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi are 21^st in doubles.
            "I think we had a couple really good practices and guys looked relaxed and happy and not too down after the loss (to TCU)," van der Merwe said. "I think that's what we wanted to see. So, we're ready for the next couple of weeks."
            Baylor will wrap up the weekend with a matchup against the 34^th-ranked Sooners (13-5, 1-0) for Senior Day at 2 p.m. Sunday. Lah and Soto will be honored, along with grad transfer Jacob Brumm from California.
            "Hopefully, I don't cry, but it's going to be hard," Soto said. "It's a special day. That's why my family is coming. It's going to be an important day for me and Sven, we've been here for so long, almost five years."
            For the men's 6 p.m. match against OSU and the women's 3 p.m. match against Kansas State, dogs will be admitted for Hounds at the Hurd. The Bears will offer free tennis balls for the dogs and Shorty's Pizza and Tiff's Treats for fans, while supplies last.

WACO, Texas – No. 4 Baylor men's tennis faces No. 44 Oklahoma State on Friday night at the Hurd Tennis Center, with start time set for 6 p.m.

The Bears (19-3, 1-1 Big 12) faced some of the Cowboys (11-7, 0-1 Big 12) earlier this season in the Big 6 Invitational in Waco, but this is the first dual match between the two teams this year.

BU is on a four-match winning streak over OSU dating back to 2018, two being sweeps. They last faced each other in early April of 2021, with Baylor winning, 4-2.

Oklahoma State is 1-2 when playing on the road this season, while the Bears are 9-1 at home.

The Cowboys head to Waco after a 4-2 win over No. 32 Tulsa in Stillwater on Sunday. OSU opened Big 12 play with No. 33 Oklahoma in Norman, falling 4-3 to the Sooners on April 1. Oklahoma State is 4-1 in its last five matches and has won 13-consecutive doubles points.

BU is coming off a hard-fought match with TCU, falling just short at 4-3. The Frogs won the doubles point, but Baylor roared back with three-straight singles wins to tie it at 3-3, before TCU clinched it with a win at No. 3 singles. The Bears are 3-2 in their last five matches.

In the latest ITA rankings, Baylor remained at No. 4, while OSU moved up seven spots to 44^th.

Baylor's Adrian Boitan improved to No. 4 in the ITA singles rankings with a perfect 15-0 record in dual play and is 17-1 for the year. The doubles pairing of Sven Lah and Finn Bass also improved to the No. 4 spot in the rankings, now 9-6 in dual play and 15-9 for the season. Also ranked in singles are Matias Soto (38^th), Lah (73^rd), Bass (114^th), and Tadeas Paroulek (121^st), while Soto and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi are 21^st in the doubles rankings.

During the month of April, the Baylor men's and women's tennis teams will sport "BB" stickers on their racquets in memory of BU alumna and avid tennis supporter Betty Bryant. Between the women's and men's matches on Friday, there will be a celebration of life for Ms. Bryant.

Against the Cowboys, the Bears will offer free tennis balls for all dogs in attendance for Hounds at the Hurd, as well as have free Shorty's Pizza and Tiff's Treats throughout the match, all available while supplies last.

Dogs will be admitted upon their owner signing a waiver, with only one dog allowed per person. Dogs must stay leashed the entire time and are only permitted on the berms.

The match can be live streamed on PlaySight here, while live stats can be found here.

A full recap and final statistics can be found BaylorBears.com after the conclusion of the match.

To stay up to date throughout the season on all things Baylor men's tennis, follow the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: @BaylorMTennis.

- BaylorBears.com -