No. 21 WT Readies for Big 12 Tennis Championship

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

WACO, Texas – Two weeks after a 4-0 sweep of Arizona, the 21^st-ranked and fourth-seeded Baylor women's tennis team (19-4) will face the No. 30 Wildcats (19-9) in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals at 12 p.m. Friday at the Hurd Tennis Center.

"This team's had a lot of swagger throughout the year," Baylor coach Joey Scrivano said. "There were only about two matches the entire year that I felt like we just didn't compete very well. And that's pretty good for as many matches as we've played. The key this week is going to be to keep the swagger going. And we can't quit on any court. We've got to fight to the end."

As one of the top four seeds, the Baylor women got a double bye to the quarterfinals against a fifth-seeded Arizona team that survived an upset bid by 14^th-seeded Utah, 4-2, on Thursday.

"We've played them recently, so we were pretty up to speed about what that challenge is going to look like," Scrivano said. "But we'll adjust accordingly."

In the previous matchup, played in Tucson, the Bears won at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles and then got straight-set wins at Nos. 3-5 singles from sophomore Zuzanna Kubacha and freshmen Na Dong and Nanaka Sato. But the Wildcats won two first sets and had split sets at No. 1 singles when the team match was decided.

"Nothing ever comes easy," said senior Sierra Berry, who has won six-consecutive matches at No. 2 doubles with Dong. "You just have to remember that every match is going to be a tough match. You really just have to go out and execute, no matter who you're playing against."

While Baylor doesn't have a player in the singles rankings, the senior tandem of Liubov Kostenko and Cristina Tiglea are 31^st and dominated the Wildcats' 44^th-ranked duo of Josie Usereau and former Baylor player Danielle Tuhten, 6-1.

Dong and Sato both had undefeated conference singles records, with Dong 11-0 at No. 4 and Sato a perfect 7-0 at No. 6. Kubacha is 17-5 overall and 11-2 at No. 3 singles.

"This recruiting class has been one of the most successful in our program's history," Scrivano said. "You look at their numbers, it's remarkable. We would not be where we are right not without them, without a doubt. They took us from a team that was (an NCAA) tournament team and a team that could make some noise to a team that can contend for a championship."

Since winning the Big 12 Championship title 12 times in a 13-year stretch, the Bears haven't won the tournament since 2015. If BU advances through the quarterfinals, the Bears will play either 15^th-ranked Texas Tech or #39 Kansas in the semifinals at 12 p.m. Saturday, with the championship final set for 12 p.m. Easter Sunday.

"Of course, playing in front of our home fans, that's always a plus," Scrivano said of playing the tournament on the Bears' home courts. "And I think we'll have a really good turnout. That should give our team some extra motivation. Not that they need it, but that always helps."

Live stats for the tournament are available at Big 12 Championship, with ESPN+ streaming the Cracked Racquet's Cross Court Cast.

WACO, Texas – No. 21 Baylor women's tennis opens up its Big 12 Championship slate as the No. 4 seed against the winner of 12^th-seeded Utah versus 5^th-seeded Arizona. The tournament, which started yesterday, will contest one round each day before crowing a champion on Easter Sunday.

The Bears (19-4, Big 12 10-3) battle against the winner of the Utes (9-14, Big 12 3-10) and Wildcats (18-9, Big 12 8-5) in the quarterfinal match on Friday at noon as they journey to the 20^th Big 12 Championship in program history.

Live stats are available online and ESPN+ will carry Cracked Racquet's CrossCourt Cast.

If Arizona advances, BU currently has a split series with the Wildcats, as the Bears earned a victory earlier in the month to put the series at two a-piece. In the previous matchup, BU earned its 17^th win of the season by a 4-0 decision. If Utah were to advance, the Bears have never faced off against the Utes, bringing a first-time contest in program history.

Advancing out of the quarterfinal match, Baylor would then face the winner of the Texas Tech (19-2, Big 12 12-1) and either TCU (13-10, Big 12 8-6) or Kansas (13-10, Big 12 7-6). BU defeated both TCU and Kansas 4-0 and 4-2, respectively, while falling to the Red Raiders, 4-0.

As the regular season concluded, Na Dong (11-0) went undefeated and led the Bears in Big 12 singles, while the duo of Liubov Kostenko and Cristina Tiglea (6-5) led the team in Big 12 doubles at Court One.

Of those players, the pair of Kostenko and Tiglea remains BU's only ranked doubles team at No. 31 in the most recent ITA rankings.

For Baylor's potential first opponents of the weekend, the Wildcats have two ranked singles competitors with No. 64 Josie Usereau and No. 95 Midori Castillo. In doubles, Arizona has two ranked individuals with No. 44 Usereau and former Bear Danielle Tuhten and No. 85 Castillo and Martyna Ostrzygalo. The Utes don't hold any ranked singles or doubles competitors.

The Bears look to be back on top for the first time since 2015, when the Bears earned the championship three straight years in a row, 2013-2015, after earning the title eight times in nine seasons from 2003-2011.

To stay up to date, follow the team on its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWTennis

- BaylorBears.com -

No. 21 WT Readies for Big 12 Tennis Championship

Players Mentioned

Sierra Berry

Na Dong

Liubov Kostenko

Zuzanna Kubacha

Nanaka Sato

Cristina Tiglea

Danielle Tuhten

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