By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            For the first time in four years, Baylor women's tennis coach Joey Scrivano doesn't have All-Americans Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana around.
            Top-of-the-lineup singles players for the last three years and doubles All-Americans last season, Krywoj and Herrero Linana finished their eligibility during a 16-9 season that ended with a 4-1 loss to Texas A&M in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
            "Mel and Allie were incredible players for us. Their record in doubles, in particular, speaks for itself," said Scrivano, whose team will open the spring season with a doubleheader on Saturday against Houston and UTRGV starting at noon at the Hurd Tennis Center.
            "But I've done this a long time (21st year at Baylor). You have to move on and take the next group. My responsibility now is to this group. Yes, we're going to miss them, but right now our focus is on, 'Hey, how do we build the next great team and great doubles team?' And this group can do that."
            While Krywoj and Herrero Linana were mainstays in singles and leave a huge void in doubles, where they were 16-5 at the No. 1 spot and 23-6 overall, Scrivano has a solid core of experienced players returning.
            Former Alabama transfer Isabella Harvison had a challenging year at the No. 1 singles spot, but ended the season with a 6-3, 6-2 win over eighth-ranked Carson Branstine of Texas A&M, the No. 2-ranked junior in the world. Also back are sophomores Alina Shcherbinina and Anita Sahdiieva and senior Paula Baranano, who were a collective 36-15 at the Nos. 4-6 spots.
            "Pauly's really developed, on and off the court," Scrivano said of Baranano. "She's been through a lot of battles. Her freshman year . . . she was on a team that lost a lot. We had a really good locker room, but went through a lot of challenges. The next year was COVID, so she had to deal with that. Then, she was on a great team, we were top-10 most of the year. And then last year, we were top-25. So, she's seen the good, bad and ugly."
            Joining Harvison as the team's only seniors, Baranano has had to take on more of a leadership role for a team that has seven underclassmen.
            "She's done an amazing job," said sophomore Brooke Thompson. "Even last year, I was always looking up to here, and I think a lot of the girls on the team still do. She's very positive, very confident, she's always fighting. I remember last year watching her play, I got goosebumps from just watching her and her energy on the court, how she carries herself. I think she's a great role model for all of us."
            A sophomore transfer from Syracuse, Liubov Kostenko had a career-high ITF World Junior Ranking of No. 29 and was a singles and doubles finalist at a $15,000 pro tournament in her native Ukraine in October 2018. The other newcomers include a pair of freshmen – Daniella Dimitrov, a full-time player at the Barcelona Tennis Academy who was ranked No. 1 in Bulgaria; and Danielle Tuhten, a three-time national doubles finalist in Canada.
            "I'm doing what I love to do, and it never gets old," Scrivano said. "Every year is a new challenge. You have to rebuild the team every year, every week, every day. But I love it. I think it's going to be a good year."
            The Bears will be tested right out of the bat with doubleheaders on Saturday and Monday. They will play Houston and UTRGV at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., respectively, and then Rice at 10 a.m. and DePaul at 2 p.m. Monday at the Hurd Tennis Center. Depending on the weather, the matches could be moved to the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
            "The team is ready," Baranano said. "We've been working hard this fall. These past few weeks, we've been working at the gym and on the court, so we feel ready. Very happy to play at home. We are going to go out there, have fun and give our best."
            Next weekend, Baylor will face Loyola Marymount (0-1) at 2 p.m. Friday in the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Austin, with a potential second-round matchup against two-time defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Texas (1-0) on Saturday, Jan. 28.
            "These kids can play. It's just the other stuff that gets in the way of that," Scrivano said. "The team dynamics and the lineups and the expectation of others, they really can derail a player's performance. If we can just stay mindful, put one foot in front of the other, forget the outcome, the results are going to be really good."
            Live scoring and video streaming for the Saturday and Monday doubleheaders are available at www.baylorbears.com.
 

WACO, Texas – A loaded spring schedule for the Baylor women's tennis team launches at home this weekend, when the Bears host four matches in the span of three days beginning on Saturday. 
 
Baylor will kick off its season against Houston at 12 p.m. on Saturday, before taking on UTRGV in the nightcap at 6 p.m. The Bears return to action on Monday for a pair of dual matches against Rice (10 a.m.) and DePaul (2 p.m.). 
 
"Every year is a new challenge," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "We've got a really young team, and there's always challenges with that, but I think it's going to be a good year, so it will be a lot of fun. A lot of the competition in the fall, you have two to three, four matches in a day. So, our team is prepared for that challenge this weekend and we will see where we stand afterwards."
 
This will be the second time in three years the Bears have started their spring season at home. The 2023 spring campaign marks year No. 21 for Scrivano, who has won a combined 19 Big 12 Conference championships between regular season and tournament titles. Baylor has a 10-member squad this year, led by fifth-year senior Paula Barañano, who went 21-8 in singles action last season. Sophomore Alina Shcherbinina also brings back a wealth of experience, as she posted a 25-5 singles record as a rookie and was a member of the 2022 Big 12 All-Freshman Team. 
 
All four matches are set to take place at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center with a possibility of the DePaul match on Monday afternoon moving to the Hurd Tennis Center. Live stats and a live video stream are available for fans who are unable to attend.