JUST PLAY YOUR GAME
5/3/2024 8:24:00 AM | Women's Tennis
WT: 'Nothing mystical' about the NCAA Tournament
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
Making his 22nd NCAA Tournament in a combined 25 years as a head coach, Joey Scrivano knows there is "nothing mystical about playing in the NCAA Tournament."
"You've still got to play your ball," said Scrivano, whose 34th-ranked Baylor women (17-12) will play No. 32 LSU (15-10) in a first-round match at 12 p.m. CT Friday at the historic Taube Family Tennis Center at Stanford.
"You just have to play your tennis and play within your ability. So, that's what our message is going to be. Just keep doing what we've been doing all year. Our preparation's not going to change. We've just got to keep leaning into our game, and our players know what that means."
After losing two of his top-three players in the transfer portal from a team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year, Scrivano added a pair of transfers in Miska Kadleckova from Iowa State and Sierra Berry from South Florida and freshmen Zuzanna Kubacha and Zuzanna Frankowska from Poland.
Kadleckova, who was part of an Iowa State team that made the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals last season, is 15-4 for the Bears at No. 1 singles and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors.
"I think there are a couple of freshmen on the team that haven't played (in the NCAA Tournament) yet," Kadleckova said. "So, it'll be great to share it with the team. And Baylor will always have high standards. Obviously, getting into the tournament is great, but we just don't want to get in. We really want to compete and show our best tennis."
With Baylor losing six of its last eight matches (all to ranked teams), Scrivano said the Bears weren't playing their best tennis at the end of the year, "but we had a lot of bumps and bruises that just happen as the season goes on."
"We weren't at our best the last month or so," he said, "but we competed really well. I was proud of the team. They were gritty in a lot of really close matches. And now, we've had tie to kind of recover and regroup, and I think we're going to play really well out in California."
The No. 2 overall seed, Stanford (22-2) plays Atlantic 10 champion UMass (15-7) in the other first-round match at 3 p.m. CT at the Taube Center, which "is a special place in our sports." In 2011, a fifth-seeded Baylor women's team knocked off No. 4 seed North Carolina, 4-3, before falling to the Cardinal in the semifinals on their home courts.
"I think it's going to be a neat experience for our players," Scrivano said. "Personally, I've had a lot of good memories there. So, that's going to be an added bonus for us. But ultimately, it's a big deal for this group. They're a younger team and getting these types of experiences really can make a difference."
In addition to the newcomers, Baylor's lineup has also included fifth-year senior Isabella Harvison, a former transfer at Alabama, second-year transfer Liubov Kostenko from Syracuse and sophomore Danielle Tuhten. In doubles, Kadleckova and Tuhten are 11-4 at the No. 2 spot.
"I think at this point in the postseason, nobody gives you anything," Kadleckova said. "I think we're all grateful to actually play there, and you just need to compete hard. We need to fight our best to play the best tennis. And it's not going to be easy."
LSU had a win over a top-20 South Carolina team and also beat a TCU team that knocked off Baylor, but the Tigers lost to an SMU team that the Bears beat twice. Junior Anita Sahdiieva, who transferred from Baylor, is 12-4 overall in dual-match singles and 8-2 at No. 3 for the Tigers.
"I've played in a couple of cool places, but I've never gone to Stanford," Kadleckova said. "I don't think anybody from my team has been, so we're all looking forward to it. But again, it's just a place, so I feel like every tennis court is the same. Yeah, we're going to be happy that we're playing at Stanford. But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where you play."
Friday's two winners will square off at 3 p.m. CT Saturday for a spot in the Super Regional round.
Baylor Bear Insider
Making his 22nd NCAA Tournament in a combined 25 years as a head coach, Joey Scrivano knows there is "nothing mystical about playing in the NCAA Tournament."
"You've still got to play your ball," said Scrivano, whose 34th-ranked Baylor women (17-12) will play No. 32 LSU (15-10) in a first-round match at 12 p.m. CT Friday at the historic Taube Family Tennis Center at Stanford.
"You just have to play your tennis and play within your ability. So, that's what our message is going to be. Just keep doing what we've been doing all year. Our preparation's not going to change. We've just got to keep leaning into our game, and our players know what that means."
After losing two of his top-three players in the transfer portal from a team that made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight year, Scrivano added a pair of transfers in Miska Kadleckova from Iowa State and Sierra Berry from South Florida and freshmen Zuzanna Kubacha and Zuzanna Frankowska from Poland.
Kadleckova, who was part of an Iowa State team that made the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals last season, is 15-4 for the Bears at No. 1 singles and earned second-team All-Big 12 honors.
"I think there are a couple of freshmen on the team that haven't played (in the NCAA Tournament) yet," Kadleckova said. "So, it'll be great to share it with the team. And Baylor will always have high standards. Obviously, getting into the tournament is great, but we just don't want to get in. We really want to compete and show our best tennis."
With Baylor losing six of its last eight matches (all to ranked teams), Scrivano said the Bears weren't playing their best tennis at the end of the year, "but we had a lot of bumps and bruises that just happen as the season goes on."
"We weren't at our best the last month or so," he said, "but we competed really well. I was proud of the team. They were gritty in a lot of really close matches. And now, we've had tie to kind of recover and regroup, and I think we're going to play really well out in California."
The No. 2 overall seed, Stanford (22-2) plays Atlantic 10 champion UMass (15-7) in the other first-round match at 3 p.m. CT at the Taube Center, which "is a special place in our sports." In 2011, a fifth-seeded Baylor women's team knocked off No. 4 seed North Carolina, 4-3, before falling to the Cardinal in the semifinals on their home courts.
"I think it's going to be a neat experience for our players," Scrivano said. "Personally, I've had a lot of good memories there. So, that's going to be an added bonus for us. But ultimately, it's a big deal for this group. They're a younger team and getting these types of experiences really can make a difference."
In addition to the newcomers, Baylor's lineup has also included fifth-year senior Isabella Harvison, a former transfer at Alabama, second-year transfer Liubov Kostenko from Syracuse and sophomore Danielle Tuhten. In doubles, Kadleckova and Tuhten are 11-4 at the No. 2 spot.
"I think at this point in the postseason, nobody gives you anything," Kadleckova said. "I think we're all grateful to actually play there, and you just need to compete hard. We need to fight our best to play the best tennis. And it's not going to be easy."
LSU had a win over a top-20 South Carolina team and also beat a TCU team that knocked off Baylor, but the Tigers lost to an SMU team that the Bears beat twice. Junior Anita Sahdiieva, who transferred from Baylor, is 12-4 overall in dual-match singles and 8-2 at No. 3 for the Tigers.
"I've played in a couple of cool places, but I've never gone to Stanford," Kadleckova said. "I don't think anybody from my team has been, so we're all looking forward to it. But again, it's just a place, so I feel like every tennis court is the same. Yeah, we're going to be happy that we're playing at Stanford. But at the end of the day, it doesn't really matter where you play."
Friday's two winners will square off at 3 p.m. CT Saturday for a spot in the Super Regional round.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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