By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Joey Scrivano tends to forget that Anita Sahdiieva is a 19-year-old sophomore who had to move up to the top half of the lineup this season.
            That's because the moment never seems to be too big for her.
            For the second time in Baylor's first seven dual matches, Sahdieeva got the clincher in a 4-3 match, defeating Ole Miss's Lillian Gabrielsen, 7-6(1), 4-6, 6-4, at No. 3 singles to remain unbeaten at 5-0.
            "I think in the second set, she was scratching her head, like, 'What am I doing wrong?''' Scrivano said. "Plan A is always better than Plan B, so I'm really proud of how she stuck with the plan. She didn't get distracted with maybe there was an easy way. She just stuck with Plan A. And in the third (set), she was just able to win some of the bigger points."
            After Gabrielsen survived four match points, Sahdiieva was mobbed by her Baylor teammates when she crumpled to the floor after the clinching point, a mixture of exhaustion and exhilaration.
            "She's playing at a higher position this year," Scrivano said of Sahdiieva, who was 11-7 at No. 5 singles last year as a freshman, "so she's doing an amazing job of handling that. And now, she's been in two 3-all matches and come out on top. It just says so much about her maturity and her growth as a person and a player."
            Ole Miss (3-1) took the doubles point with wins on Courts 1 and 2. Paula Baranano and Daniella Dimitrov suffered their first loss of the season at No. 1, falling 6-2 to the Rebels' Anaelle Leclercq and Ludmila Kareisova, then Gabrielsen teamed with Kelsey Mize to beat the Bears' Alina Shcherbinana and Sahdiieva, 6-4.
            "Ole Miss plays great doubles, so knew that was going to be a tight point," Scrivano said. "But we do, too. With no-ad format, points can go either way, and it can change in a hurry. So, just proud of our resilience, our grit to keep fighting and find a way to win. That was a great team win."
            The Rebels went up 2-0 on Emma Kette's 6-2, 6-0 win over Dimitrov at No. 6, but Baranano put a quick point on the board by defeating Mize, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 4.
            "Paulie's been pretty dominant for a set and a half, and then she just starts getting into the future," Scrivano said. "Today, she did an amazing job, just stayed present, didn't let that be a distraction. And we needed her to do that, because that put a point on the board for us and obviously showed Ole Miss, 'Hey, we're here to compete.'''
            Baylor (6-1) got a leg up with back-to-back wins at the top of the lineup. Shcherbinina dominated Leclercq, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 1, then Isabella Harvison gave the Bears a 3-2 lead when she beat Kareisova, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 2.
            "As much as you don't want to focus on it, there is scoreboard pressure," Scrivano said. "It's an additional opponent. We were down most of the match. It was definitely Ole Miss's friend. And then, we were able to turn it."
            The Rebels' Reka Zadori knotted the team score at 3-3 with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Danielle Tuhten at No. 5, but Sahdiieva clinched Baylor's third 4-3 win over the year. The Bears had identical 4-3 wins over Rice and DePaul on the same day.
            Baylor finishes off the weekend with a matchup against 18^th-ranked Florida (2-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. The Gators will be playing their second match in Waco this week after losing to No. 4 Texas A&M, 4-2, in the ITA Kickoff Weekend when the second round of the qualifier was moved from College Station.
            "Florida, obviously, is a team that could make a run at the whole thing," Scrivano said. "Every match for us is like the Super Bowl. The majority of our schedule is 3-all type matches. So, I'm extremely proud of the team, for them to win three of these already. That's a good sign. You asked me the identity of the team. And that's the thing, as a coach, you have your thoughts. But ultimately, the identity kind of forms itself. The kids do that."


WACO, Texas – The Baylor women's tennis team (6-1) won a thriller on Friday afternoon, edging the Ole Miss Rebels (3-1), 4-3, at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. 
 
The match came down to Anita Sahdiieva and Lillian Gabrielson on No. 3 singles, as the duo were the only court to be decided with a third set. Sahdiieva opened with a 7-6 (7-1) win in the first, while Gabrielson snuck away in the second with a 6-4 victory. In the deciding frame, Sahdiieva and Gabrielson battled back-and-forth before Sahdiieva ultimately came out on top, 6-4, to win it for the Bears. 
 
"For Anita (Sahdiieva) to find a way to win in the third set and help us earn the win today speaks volumes about her growth and development so far this season," head coach Joey Scrivano said.
 
The Rebels picked up a pair of victories on No. 1 and No. 2 to clinch the doubles point at the start. After falling to a 2-0 deficit, the Bears jumped on the board with a 6-2, 6-3 win by Paula Barañano on No. 4 singles. Alina Shcherbinina moved to 4-1 on the year at the No. 1 position with the 6-2, 6-4 victory, leveling the match at two-all. 
 
A 6-3, 6-2 win by Isabella Harvison on court No. 2 pushed Baylor ahead, but Ole Miss responded by taking the 6-1, 7-5 victory on No. 5 to tie the match up at three. 
 
With the thrilling 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-4 win on No. 3 by Sahdiieva, the sophomore picked up her fifth singles victory of the year to remain undefeated.
 
"It was a great team win for us today," Scrivano added. "Give credit to Ole Miss. They really pushed us, and our players really responded. We couldn't be more proud of them for showing a lot of resiliency and grit. Our top four positions were phenomenal today, and it was ultimately a team win. We're looking forward to getting back out there on Sunday."
 
The Bears return to action on Sunday against No. 18 Florida at 1 p.m. at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. Cub tennis, a free instructional clinic for kids, is set to begin at 12 p.m.
 
RESULTS
Singles
No. 1 – Alina Shcherbinina def. Anaëlle Leclercq-Ficher: 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 – Isabella Harvison def. Ludmila Kareisová: 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 – Anita Sahdiieva def. Lillian Gabrielson: 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-4
No. 4 – Paula Barañano def. Kelsey Mize: 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 – Reka Zadori def. Danielle Tuhten: 6-1, 7-5
No. 6 – Emma Kette def. Daniella Dimitrov: 6-2, 6-0
 
Doubles
No. 1 – Anaëlle Leclercq-Ficher/Ludmila Kareisová def. Paula Barañano/Danielle Dimitrov, 6-2
No. 2 – Lillian Gabrielson/Kelsey Mize def. Alina Shcherbinina/Anita Sahdiieva, 6-4
No. 3 – Isabella Harvison/Danielle Tuhten vs. Emma Kette, 4-4 (unfinished)