By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
 
WACO, Texas – Winning four first sets after dropping the doubles point, the 21^st-ranked and fourth-seeded Baylor women gave themselves a chance in Saturday's semifinal against top-seeded and 15^th-ranked Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship at the Hurd Tennis Center.
 
But Tech (21-2) was "just too good" in winning its 10^th-consecutive match, handing the Bears (20-5) a 4-2 loss.
 
"Anytime you can respond like that and get some first sets on the board, you feel like you have a chance," Scrivano said. "But these matches are long, and it's not about how you start, it's about how you finish them. I'm proud of our girls. They put us in a position where we could win the match. It just didn't happen this time."
 
Playing out almost identically to a 4-2 loss to the Lady Raiders on March 16, Baylor lost the doubles point by falling at the Nos. 1 and 2 spots. Na Dong and Wenfei Yu lost to Kate Dmitrichenko and Hailey Murphy, 6-3, at No. 2, and Tech's seventh-ranked tandem of Mariia Hlahola and Avelina Sayfetdinova beat the No. 37 team of Liubov Kosteno and Cristina Tiglea.
 
"We felt if we played a little better and competed a little better," Scrivano said, "we could win the doubles and win the match, but they were just too good."
 
The Bears came close to securing a fifth first set, but Kennedy Gibbs lost a tiebreaker to the Lady Raiders' Hailey Murphy, 7-6(7).
 
Baylor got its first point on the board when Dong cruised to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Andreea Lila at No. 4 singles, but Tech countered and retook the lead when 96^th-ranked Kate Dmitrichenko knocked off Tiglea, 6-4, 6-0, on Court 2.
 
Zuzanna Kubacha made quick work of Halahola at No. 3, knotting the match again at 2-2 with a 6-2, 6-2 straight-set sweep.
 
"I just wanted to win for my team. That's what keeps me going," Kubacha said. "I'm doing it not only for myself, I'm also doing it for my team. So, whatever it takes."
 
With the other three courts going to three sets, Tech was able to close out the match with comeback wins at Nos. 1 and 6. Sayfetdinova rallied to beat Kostenko, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, on Court 1, just minutes before the match ended with freshman Nanaka Sato's 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 loss to Jermine Sherif at No. 6.
 
"I'm proud of them," Scrivano said. "They competed very hard on back-to-back days, and they've done it the entire season. They've been incredibly consistent. It's hard as a coach to be upset about a loss like this when your players are competing. What more can you ask of them?"
 
Tech advances to face second-seeded and 22^nd-ranked UCF (22-2) at 12 p.m. Sunday, while the Bears await the NCAA Tournament selections on Monday, April 28.
 
"It's another lesson," Kubacha said. "We live and we learn. That's what I always say is we either win matches or we have great lessons. We will, for sure, come back stronger than that."



WACO, Texas – No. 21 Baylor women's tennis dropped its semifinal match to No. 15 Texas Tech in a battle of the No. 4 versus No. 1 seeds, 4-2, on Saturday at the Hurd Tennis Center.
 
The Bears weren't able to secure the doubles point, but fought off the Red Raiders with a pair of singles wins from Zuzanna Kubacha and Na Dong before Texas Tech punched their ticket to the Big 12 Championship final.
 
THE RUNDOWN
With a nail-biting doubles point on the line, the Bears battled Texas Tech at each court but ultimately fell to give up the first point of the game.
 
Court No. 2 had the first result, as Kate Dmitrichenko and Hailey Murphy defeated Na Dong and Wenfei Yu, 6-3. Clinching the point, the seventh-ranked Mariia Hlahola and Avelina Sayfetdinova completed their 4-2 defeat of No. 31 Liubov Kosetnko and Cristina Tigela.
 
Dong was rolling on Court No. 4, making quick work of Andreea Lila, march to a 6-1, 6-0 victory to bring the dual match even at 1 point each. Texas Tech struck back at No. 2, as Dmitrichenko beat Tiglea, 6-4, 6-0.
 
Kubacha was next, bringing the match back to 2-2 with a 6-2, 6-2 defeat of Hlahola at Court Three.
 
Completing the match in a pair of third sets, the Red Raiders clinched the match at Court Nos. 1 and 6, as Sayfetdinova beat Kostneko and Jermine Sherif beat Nanaka Sato.
 
WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor awaits its fate in the NCAA selection show, slated for April 28.