By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
WACO, Texas – It was a different world and a different conference makeup, for sure, when the Baylor men's tennis team last hosted the Big 12 Championship at the Hurd Tennis Center.
 
"It was so different, it's hard to even . . . I mean, we were wearing masks in 2021, which was probably the most annoying thing," said Baylor coach Michael Woodson, whose 16^th-ranked and third-seeded Bears (21-9) will face 40^th-ranked and sixth-seeded Arizona State (12-10) in Friday's 3 p.m. quarterfinal match.
 
"We had a bit of a three-headed monster in our conference at that time, with TCU, Texas and us. We had all beaten each other, and we had all split the regular-season title. So, that was a wild weekend. We clinched 7-5 in the third (set) in the semis against TCU, 4-3, and then we ran away with the finals (4-0 versus Texas). So, great memories but difficult matches."
 
That's the thing that hasn't changed since Baylor won its 10^th off 11 Big 12 tournament titles.  – "no matches are easy."
 
Texas and Oklahoma left for the SEC, but the Big 12 is still one of the toughest conferences in the country in men's tennis with four teams ranked in the top 20. Top-seeded TCU is No. 2, second-seeded Arizona is 11^th, the Bears are 16^th and fourth-seeded UCF sits at No. 18.
 
"We know we're going to have our work cut out for us, hopefully for three days, but certainly every single match," Woodson said. "So yeah, excited for it and hoping for some great weather and good crowds."
 
Of course, as far as big-time tennis tournaments, Baylor and Waco have never seen anything like this year. BU hosted the individual NCAA Championship Singles and Doubles tournament in the fall, co-hosted the ITA Indoor National Championships with SMU in February and will host the team NCAA Championships next month on these same courts.
 
"It's the best facility in the country, hands-down," Woodson said. "And just with how much Waco is growing, I think it's a nice destination for people to come to. So, we're excited to host a bunch of new teams that have never been here before and their families and friends and fans. We continue to grow the sport here in Waco, and I think you'll see that here over the coming days. We should have some good crowds."
 
The matchup against Arizona State is already the third time the Bears have faced the Sun Devils this season. ASU got the better of them, 4-3, at the UTR Sports College Championships in Indian Wells, Calif., before Baylor pulled off a 4-0 sweep on its home courts just five days later.
 
"I feel like we're pretty confident against Arizona State," said junior Zsombor Velcz, who was a perfect 6-0 in conference matches at the No. 3 singles position. "I feel like we've been building, and it's starting to build up for NCAAs and also for the Big 12 tournament to play our best tennis."
 
Sophomore Devin Badenhorst, Baylor's highest-ranked singles player at No. 37 in the country, said the Bears "have the belief and confidence in each other to do well" in the Big 12 and upcoming NCAA tournaments.
 
"I just feel like getting out there and executing on maybe one or two extra points to win the match for us could be crucial," he said. "The important moments in the big moments is wht matters against these teams, and I feel like that's what we have to do a little bit better. But we have lots of trust in the guys and belief in the guys to go out and do it."
 
Since a 7-6 start that included all six losses to top-10 teams, the Bears had won 14 of 16 before falling to TCU, 4-0, on Sunday in a match that saw the doubles point decided by a tiebreaker and four of the six singles go to third sets.
 
"For the whole year, we've been playing competition this level and higher," Woodson said. "That's kind of the goal when we schedule our non-conference is that we want to really be prepared for when the conference season hits and then postseason play. We don't even talk about it being postseason play, it's just another match for us. Every single one is important. Every one is one we want to win and perform at our best and take a step forward."


WACO, Texas – The No. 16 Baylor men's tennis team begins its postseason run as the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 Championship, facing sixth-seeded No. 40 Arizona State on Friday at 3 p.m. at the Hurd Tennis Center.
 
The Bears (21-9, 6-2 Big 12) enter the tournament after dropping their regular season finale to No. 2 TCU, 4-0, snapping a seven-match winning streak. Arizona State (12-10, 3-5) comes to Waco on a two-match losing streak after falling to No. 18 UCF and No. 11 Arizona in its final regular season matches.
 
The teams split their two meetings this season, with Baylor sweeping the Sun Devils 4-0 in conference play after Arizona State took a 4-3 decision five days earlier at the UTR Sports College Championship at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California.
 
The Sun Devils sport two ranked doubles pairs, No. 37 Artnak/Phillips and No. 71 Artnak/Dimic. The Artnak/Phillips duo have played just three matches together but have gone 3-0, all against nationally ranked opponents.
 
To combat the Sun Devils' lineup, the Bears offer three ranked doubles pairs: No. 27 Marko Miladinovic/Oskar Brostrom Poulsen, No. 74 Devin Badenhorst/Zsombor Velcz and No. 80 Velcz/Brostrom Poulsen. Miladinovic/Brostrom Poulsen have been a doubles mainstay, playing all 23 of their matches on Court One. Cumulatively, the Bears have a .632 winning percentage on all courts and have seen the most success on Court Two, where they have won 75% of their matches.
 
In singles play, spectators could see a clash between No. 36 and No. 37 as the Sun Devils' Bor Artnak will likely face Baylor's Badenhorst. Artnak has been hot lately, winning seven of his last nine. Badenhorst comes in with an 11-11 record this spring and a 5-8 record against national opponents.
 
The Bears have been strong in singles this spring, donning an impressive 21-9 conference record. Three courts have above a .700 winning percentage.
 
Alongside Badenhorst, Baylor's other ranked singles player is No. 108 Velcz, who has won eleven straight matches. While 1-3 against nationally ranked players, he boasts an impressive 14-6 record this season.
 
With a win, Baylor would advance to Saturday's 3 p.m. semifinal against either No. 2 seed Arizona or No. 7 seed Texas Tech.
 
For the latest news on the Baylor men's tennis team all year long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis.