Thursday, April 20
Lawrence, Kan.
10 AM
Baylor
vs
Kansas State
WT Set to Open Big 12 Championship against Kansas State Thursday
4/19/2023 2:01:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Bears are the No. 7 seed in the conference tournament
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Joey Scrivano would like nothing more than to accelerate the whole learning and growing-up process for a young Baylor women's tennis team that has just two upperclassmen in its top eight.
The 40th-ranked Bears (15-12) are seeded seventh for the Big 12 Championship and will face 10th-seeded Kansas State (2-19) in a first-round match at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Jayhawk Tennis Center in Lawrence, Kan.
"These last four or five matches, I've really liked the spirit of the team and where we're headed," Scrivano said. "I think the team has just progressively been growing and learning. They're kind of finding themselves, and that takes time. It's a young team, we have a lot of freshmen and sophomores. And the timetable is what it is. I wish it was a little sooner, but we can't do anything about that."
After a challenging 4-3 loss at Texas Tech on March 31, the Bears reeled off four-straight wins over TCU, UTSA, New Mexico State and SMU before losing 6-1 to two-time defending national champion Texas in a match that included a pair of three-set losses.
"I was really proud of the effort and focus in that match," Scrivano said. "If you look at the way we played them in January (in a 4-0 loss in the ITA Kickoff Weekend) versus last week, night and day difference. The team is growing, and that's all you can ask for as a coach. You just want to maximize the players' talent, and we're getting there. It's going in the right direction."
In what felt like an NCAA Tournament qualifier, freshman Daniella Dimitrov and sophomore Liubov Kostenko picked up singles victories in the 4-1 win over 54th-ranked SMU before senior Paula Barañano got the clincher by beating Lana Mavor, 7-6(5), 6-0, on Court 5 on Senior Day.
"I was cramping, emotions, it was really good," Barañano said. "Then, when I fell on the court, I was super-happy my teammates were there. It was a cool moment that I'm going to remember forever."
Being a "super senior," Barañano has "seen it all," Scrivano said.
"She's just being a really good role model for the team and not panicking when things get hard, and accepting that 'Hey, this is a tough sport. And these matches are going to come down to a couple points here and there.' So, her ability to just stay in the moment has improved tremendously. I think other players are seeing that and trying to emulate that."
Baylor's two ranked singles players, sophomore Alina Shcherbinina (103rd) and senior Isabela Harvison (84th), lead the team in singles victories with 15 and 14, respectively, while the No. 3 doubles tandem of Shcherbinina and sophomore Brooke Thompson have a 3-2 record in conference.
"Ultimately, I think a breakthrough could be right around the corner," Scrivano said. "We've seen us progress all April. That was a big month for us. But I think in the postseason, if we can continue to just do everything we can to create an environment where these players can get into a flow, then good things can really happen. So, that's all we're trying to do."
A month ago, Baylor had to pull out a pair of three-setters to defeat Kansas State, 4-2, in Manhattan for Scrivano's 500th career victory. Sophomore Anita Sahdiieva and Kostenko won in three sets at Nos. 3 and 4 singles, respectively, while Shcherbinina had a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 and also won at No. 3 doubles with Thompson.
"They're a team that's scratching and clawing and trying to finish their season on a high note," Scrivano said. "We know they're going to come after us and they're not going to back down. Ultimately, though, that doesn't really matter. We just have to do us and do everything we can to just be in the present."
The Baylor-Kansas State winner advances to Friday's 12 p.m. quarterfinal to face second-seeded and 14th-ranked Oklahoma (18-8).
"Every match is going to be a fight," Barañano said. "We have to get ready, but I'm sure we are going to give it our best and fight like we did all season."
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Baylor women's tennis team hits the road this week for the Big 12 Championships, hosted by Kansas, at the Jayhawk Tennis Center.
The Bears (15-12) drew the seven seed in the tournament and will take on No. 10-seeded Kansas State (2-19) in the first round of the tournament on Thursday at 10 a.m. The winner of the match will move on and face No. 2-seed Oklahoma, who is currently No. 14 in the ITA rankings.
"The team is playing well, and these last four or five matches, I've really liked the spirit of the team and where we're headed," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "That's always good to have some momentum going into the tournament and we're excited to see what we can do."
Alina Shcherbinina leads the Bears this season with a 15-6 showing in singles with a team-best 6-3 record during Big 12 play. Isabella Harvison ranks second on the team with a 14-8 singles record and finished 3-1 in Big 12 action. Both Harvison and Shcherbinina are listed in the ITA singles rankings, sitting at No. 84 and No. 103, respectively.
In doubles action, the tandem of Shcherbinina and Brooke Thompson leads the team with a 3-2 Big 12 record, including a win against Kansas State earlier this season.
In their last showing against the Wildcats, the doubles duos of Harvison and Anita Sahdiieva and Shcherbinina and Thompson earned the first point for the Bears. In singles play, Shcherbinina and Sahdiieva collected two more points for Baylor, while freshman Liubov Kostenko clinched Scrivano's 500th career victory and the 4-2 win for the Bears.
Live stats are available for all matches at the event.
Baylor Bear Insider
Joey Scrivano would like nothing more than to accelerate the whole learning and growing-up process for a young Baylor women's tennis team that has just two upperclassmen in its top eight.
The 40th-ranked Bears (15-12) are seeded seventh for the Big 12 Championship and will face 10th-seeded Kansas State (2-19) in a first-round match at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Jayhawk Tennis Center in Lawrence, Kan.
"These last four or five matches, I've really liked the spirit of the team and where we're headed," Scrivano said. "I think the team has just progressively been growing and learning. They're kind of finding themselves, and that takes time. It's a young team, we have a lot of freshmen and sophomores. And the timetable is what it is. I wish it was a little sooner, but we can't do anything about that."
After a challenging 4-3 loss at Texas Tech on March 31, the Bears reeled off four-straight wins over TCU, UTSA, New Mexico State and SMU before losing 6-1 to two-time defending national champion Texas in a match that included a pair of three-set losses.
"I was really proud of the effort and focus in that match," Scrivano said. "If you look at the way we played them in January (in a 4-0 loss in the ITA Kickoff Weekend) versus last week, night and day difference. The team is growing, and that's all you can ask for as a coach. You just want to maximize the players' talent, and we're getting there. It's going in the right direction."
In what felt like an NCAA Tournament qualifier, freshman Daniella Dimitrov and sophomore Liubov Kostenko picked up singles victories in the 4-1 win over 54th-ranked SMU before senior Paula Barañano got the clincher by beating Lana Mavor, 7-6(5), 6-0, on Court 5 on Senior Day.
"I was cramping, emotions, it was really good," Barañano said. "Then, when I fell on the court, I was super-happy my teammates were there. It was a cool moment that I'm going to remember forever."
Being a "super senior," Barañano has "seen it all," Scrivano said.
"She's just being a really good role model for the team and not panicking when things get hard, and accepting that 'Hey, this is a tough sport. And these matches are going to come down to a couple points here and there.' So, her ability to just stay in the moment has improved tremendously. I think other players are seeing that and trying to emulate that."
Baylor's two ranked singles players, sophomore Alina Shcherbinina (103rd) and senior Isabela Harvison (84th), lead the team in singles victories with 15 and 14, respectively, while the No. 3 doubles tandem of Shcherbinina and sophomore Brooke Thompson have a 3-2 record in conference.
"Ultimately, I think a breakthrough could be right around the corner," Scrivano said. "We've seen us progress all April. That was a big month for us. But I think in the postseason, if we can continue to just do everything we can to create an environment where these players can get into a flow, then good things can really happen. So, that's all we're trying to do."
A month ago, Baylor had to pull out a pair of three-setters to defeat Kansas State, 4-2, in Manhattan for Scrivano's 500th career victory. Sophomore Anita Sahdiieva and Kostenko won in three sets at Nos. 3 and 4 singles, respectively, while Shcherbinina had a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 2 and also won at No. 3 doubles with Thompson.
"They're a team that's scratching and clawing and trying to finish their season on a high note," Scrivano said. "We know they're going to come after us and they're not going to back down. Ultimately, though, that doesn't really matter. We just have to do us and do everything we can to just be in the present."
The Baylor-Kansas State winner advances to Friday's 12 p.m. quarterfinal to face second-seeded and 14th-ranked Oklahoma (18-8).
"Every match is going to be a fight," Barañano said. "We have to get ready, but I'm sure we are going to give it our best and fight like we did all season."
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Baylor women's tennis team hits the road this week for the Big 12 Championships, hosted by Kansas, at the Jayhawk Tennis Center.
The Bears (15-12) drew the seven seed in the tournament and will take on No. 10-seeded Kansas State (2-19) in the first round of the tournament on Thursday at 10 a.m. The winner of the match will move on and face No. 2-seed Oklahoma, who is currently No. 14 in the ITA rankings.
"The team is playing well, and these last four or five matches, I've really liked the spirit of the team and where we're headed," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "That's always good to have some momentum going into the tournament and we're excited to see what we can do."
Alina Shcherbinina leads the Bears this season with a 15-6 showing in singles with a team-best 6-3 record during Big 12 play. Isabella Harvison ranks second on the team with a 14-8 singles record and finished 3-1 in Big 12 action. Both Harvison and Shcherbinina are listed in the ITA singles rankings, sitting at No. 84 and No. 103, respectively.
In doubles action, the tandem of Shcherbinina and Brooke Thompson leads the team with a 3-2 Big 12 record, including a win against Kansas State earlier this season.
In their last showing against the Wildcats, the doubles duos of Harvison and Anita Sahdiieva and Shcherbinina and Thompson earned the first point for the Bears. In singles play, Shcherbinina and Sahdiieva collected two more points for Baylor, while freshman Liubov Kostenko clinched Scrivano's 500th career victory and the 4-2 win for the Bears.
Live stats are available for all matches at the event.
- BaylorBears.com -
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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