MT Opens Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            Three-time defending Big 12 Tournament champion Baylor faces a difficult challenge in just getting to the semifinals for the 24^th time in the tournament's 26-year history.
            Seeded fifth and ranked 42^nd, the Bears (17-14) will face fourth-seeded and 35^th-ranked Oklahoma (13-10) at 9 a.m. Friday in a quarterfinal matchup at the Jayhawk Tennis Center in Lawrence, Kan. But they won't give up the throne without a fight.
            "It is a different dynamic (than last year), but we're still the three-time defending Big 12 tournament champions and we've played in four-straight finals," Baylor coach Michael Woodson said. "Teddy (Tadeas Paroulek) was the MVP of last year's tournament. Oklahoma doesn't have any of that, so we're going to use that to our advantage."
            In a similar position five years ago, a fifth-seeded Baylor team knocked off 17^th-ranked Oklahoma State and No. 7 TCU before falling to 15^th-ranked and second-seeded Texas, 4-2, in the final on the Longhorns' home courts.
            "We go to win. I mean, we are Baylor," said senior Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi, who is 6-1 at No. 5 singles. "I don't think we should aim for something than winning the tournament. If we aim for something different, it will be maybe like a limit for us."
            Last year, a veteran Baylor team pulled out a 4-2 win over Texas in the semifinals and then upset top-ranked TCU, 4-2, in the championship on the Horned Frogs' home court.
            With the top three players off that team gone, Woodson had to rebuild around the veteran trio of Paroulek, Juampi Mazzuchi and fifth-year senior Finn Bass. But Sunday's 4-1 win over 44^th-ranked Oklahoma State in the regular-season finale was the first time the Bears were at full strength in two months.
            "The whole year has been challenging," Juampi said. "Finn was out until a couple weeks ago. And then, when we get Finn back, Teddy's out. It's been incredible. But we are glad that we have them back. This feels like the first time all year that we are the full squad."
            It looked like a different team on Sunday, with the No. 16 duo of Paroulek and freshman Zsombor Velcz and the 30^th-ranked Bass and Grassi Mazzuchi clinching the doubles point. Velcz and fellow freshman Luc Koenig picked up singles wins before Juampi closed it out with a 6-2, 7-6 win at No. 5.
            "Everybody seemed to have a little bit more of a pep in their step," Woodson said. "There was more energy, and they were more positive in general. They seemed to come together really well and rally around each other, which was nice. They knew if they could just get to the postseason healthy, they're going to be able to make a run and we'll lean on the old guys that have been there before to show the way."
            Two days earlier, the Bears lost 4-0 at Oklahoma, but that was with Paroulek still out of the singles lineup and everybody else having to play a spot higher. Playing the Sooners again a week later, this could be a completely different match.
            "They were playing six different matches than they will be on Friday morning," Woodson said. "Our No. 1 player (Paroulek) was out and didn't play singles, which changes the entire dynamic. Especially the way Teddy has been playing all year. He looked really good on Sunday.
            "I know they're going to be ready for us. For us, it has to go the other way. We can't be thinking, 'We're going to be so much better than we were on Friday night because Teddy's in.' They're tough at every spot, so we have to be ready to go."
            In addition to the two ranked doubles teams, Baylor has a pair of players ranked in singles with Paroulek and Bass at No. 62 and 82, respectively. For OU, seniors Alex Martinez (94^th) and Siphos Montsi (111^th) are listed in this week's rankings.
            "It's really hard to beat a team that's at a similar level twice in a row," Woodson said, "so I think we do have that going for us. There's a lot of excitement given how things shook out on Friday night. But it's not easy. In the Big 12, there are no secrets. It's a strange dynamic for the guys, but given the lineup situation, we're probably going to have all new matchups. So, that will keep it fresh."
            If the Bears get by Oklahoma, they will face top-ranked Texas (21-2) at 12 p.m. Saturday for a spot in Sunday's 1 p.m. final.
            "I think Friday is going to be much different," Juampi said. "We are not playing at (Oklahoma's) place. Conditions in the last match were tough, too, it was windy. And with all the crowd, that was challenging, too. But it is weird to play a team twice in the span of (seven) days."

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Baylor men's tennis has been named the fifth seed in the 2023 Big 12 Championships, set for Friday through Sunday at the Jayhawk Tennis Center and hosted by the University of Kansas.

The Bears (17-14, 2-3 Big 12) wrapped up the regular season with a 4-1 win over the Oklahoma State Cowboys and will have a rematch against the Oklahoma Sooners at 9 a.m. on Friday morning in the first round of the tournament.

Oklahoma took a 4-0 win in the last meeting of the two teams, just one week ago, and holds a 27-26 lead in all-time matchups.

In Tuesday's edition of the ITA rankings, the Bears take the No. 42 ranking, while OU sits ahead at No. 35.

For the individual rankings, Tadeas Paroulek still leads the BU squad at the 62^nd spot, while Finn Bass is 20 spots back at No. 82. In doubles, Paroulek and Zsombor Velcz are top-20 at 16, while Bass and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi are 30^th.

The Sooners' squad features no doubles ranked pairs, while Alex Martinez is 94th and Siphos Montsi is 111th in singles.

Coming into the tournament with a three-way tie with OU and Texas Tech, the Bears were pushed to the fifth seed after the ITA rankings were considered.

If the Bears take the victory on Friday morning, the squad will face first-seeded Texas at noon on Saturday for a spot in the championship match.

Live results will be available all weekend online and Playsight will stream the action court-by-court.

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

- BaylorBears.com -

MT Opens Big 12 Championship against Oklahoma

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Players Mentioned

Finn Bass

Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi

Luc Koenig

Tadeas Paroulek

Zsombor Velcz

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