Saturday, January 17
Waco, Texas
3 p.m.
Baylor
vs
Illinois
No. 25 WT Set for Home-Opening Weekend against Illinois, Tulane
1/16/2026 12:14:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center hosting Saturday and Sunday afternoon matches
WACO, Texas – The 25th-ranked Baylor women's tennis team opens its 2026 dual slate against Illinois Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center, followed by a bout against the Tulane Green Wave on Sunday at noon.
Baylor, whose 20-6 campaign in the 2024-25 season ended in a narrow NCAA first-round loss to Boise State, returns four players to the roster for a fresh 2025-26 slate.
Among the newcomers, freshman Mu-Jie Tzeng checks in with a 99th ranking in singles. Third-year Bear Zuzanna Kubacha posts a 57th ranking and senior Na Dong earns the 40th singles ranking after fall play. In doubles, the duo of Dong and Kubacha, who made an appearance in the NCAA singles and doubles championship in November, come in at 61st, while the duo of senior Kennedy Gibbs and Dong boasts the 38th rank.
The Fighting Illini have the 60th-ranked doubles team with Alice Xu and Tess Bucher, while Tulane's roster does not feature any ranked courts.
Illinois currently leads the all-time series record at 4-2, with the Bears winning the last two matchups. Last season, the green and gold defeated the Fighting Illini on the road, 4-1. In the match, Kubacha earned a point on Court Three with a 6-3, 6-2 victory and Dong sealed the victory with a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 decision on Court Four.
Baylor and Tulane are knotted up in the all-time series as four matches each, last facing off in the 2005 season. The Green Wave claimed the first meeting in 1992 and the last three consecutive in 2003, 2004 and 2005 after a four-match win streak for Baylor in each season between 1993 and 1996.
Last season, Dong led the team in singles wins with 27, 11 of those being from conference action. Dong went undefeated in conference play, being named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and to the Big 12 second team in singles.
In the fall slate, both Dong and Kubacha had appearances in both the singles and doubles championships for the NCAA tournament. The duo both advanced in the first round, with Dong knocking out the No. 1 seed, but both fell in the round of 32. In doubles, Dong and Kubacha fell in the first round.
Live results for the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center are available online with live streaming provided by Playsight.
Admission to the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center is free all season long.
For more information on Baylor Women's Tennis, follow @BaylorWTennis on X, Instagram and Facebook.
Baylor, whose 20-6 campaign in the 2024-25 season ended in a narrow NCAA first-round loss to Boise State, returns four players to the roster for a fresh 2025-26 slate.
Among the newcomers, freshman Mu-Jie Tzeng checks in with a 99th ranking in singles. Third-year Bear Zuzanna Kubacha posts a 57th ranking and senior Na Dong earns the 40th singles ranking after fall play. In doubles, the duo of Dong and Kubacha, who made an appearance in the NCAA singles and doubles championship in November, come in at 61st, while the duo of senior Kennedy Gibbs and Dong boasts the 38th rank.
The Fighting Illini have the 60th-ranked doubles team with Alice Xu and Tess Bucher, while Tulane's roster does not feature any ranked courts.
Illinois currently leads the all-time series record at 4-2, with the Bears winning the last two matchups. Last season, the green and gold defeated the Fighting Illini on the road, 4-1. In the match, Kubacha earned a point on Court Three with a 6-3, 6-2 victory and Dong sealed the victory with a 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 decision on Court Four.
Baylor and Tulane are knotted up in the all-time series as four matches each, last facing off in the 2005 season. The Green Wave claimed the first meeting in 1992 and the last three consecutive in 2003, 2004 and 2005 after a four-match win streak for Baylor in each season between 1993 and 1996.
Last season, Dong led the team in singles wins with 27, 11 of those being from conference action. Dong went undefeated in conference play, being named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and to the Big 12 second team in singles.
In the fall slate, both Dong and Kubacha had appearances in both the singles and doubles championships for the NCAA tournament. The duo both advanced in the first round, with Dong knocking out the No. 1 seed, but both fell in the round of 32. In doubles, Dong and Kubacha fell in the first round.
Live results for the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center are available online with live streaming provided by Playsight.
Admission to the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center is free all season long.
For more information on Baylor Women's Tennis, follow @BaylorWTennis on X, Instagram and Facebook.
- BaylorBears.com –
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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