WE BELONG

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider

WACO, Texas – As co-host for the ITA National Team Indoor Championships with SMU, 19^th-ranked Baylor men's tennis (5-1) didn't have to qualify for the 16-team tournament that starts Friday at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center in Waco and the Altec Tennis Complex in Dallas.

But the Bears' 4-1 win over No. 8 Texas A&M on Monday makes them "feel like you belong."

"I think it's always important to feel like you belong in the event," said Baylor coach Michael Woodson, whose fifth-seeded team will face ninth-ranked and fourth-seeded UCF (8-0) at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Hawkins, "and especially when you're a host and get that automatic entry. For us to beat a team that qualified in and is rightfully so a top-10 program in A&M really gave us a ton of confidence."

Monday's win over the Aggies was a bounce back from last Thursday's 4-1 loss to fifth-ranked TCU, when 106^th-ranked Zsombor Velcz upset No. 49 Rolland De Ravel, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 2 singles for Baylor's lone point.

Despite dropping the doubles point for the second time in a row and third time this season, the Bears won all six first sets in singles and clinched it with wins at Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 singles by Velcz, Connor Van Schalwyk, Alexandru Chirita and Luc Koenig.

"The crowd and the home support was spectacular," said Koenig, who defeated A&M's Tokac Togan, 6-3, 1-6, 6-2. "You could see some of their guys getting frustrated when we were getting pumped up and the crowd was getting pumped up. That definitely gave us some sort of edge and helped us to play better when everyone was so into it."

In doubles, Woodson said the Bears "haven't played with the right energy level, composure, aggressiveness, that we actually have in us."

"I'm not saying anything that we don't already know," Woodson said. "We need to do a better job there. We'll probably mix it up a bit, potentially, throughout this weekend and see within the rules what we can pull off, because we have to turn in our lineup ahead of time. So, we[ll try a few different things."

Koenig, who has a 2-3 record with Devin Badenhorst at No. 1 doubles, said Woodson "has some stuff up his sleeve that he's going to change."

"It's been a bit of a tough one for me and Dev and quite a surprise for us, obviously, after so many years of success, especially this summer how well we did, to come out and fail," Koenig said. "But I think Coach is making some changes and making some plans. We're constantly watching video to see what play calls we can do better and how we can be better on the court in (doubles)."

Baylor draws a UCF team that already has wins over USC, Oklahoma and in-state rivals Florida and Miami.

"They have a loaded, deep roster," Woodson said. "They've beaten some really good teams. I think their top-10 ranking is very well-deserved. And we know a lot of their guys, which will make it fun. And I think we're playing well. Really excited for this particular matchup. I think they're very gritty and competitive, and I would like to think we are, too."

The other first-round matchups in Waco, fifth-ranked TCU plays No. 17 LSU at 9 a.m., seventh-ranked Texas versus No. 8 A&M at 12 p.m. and No. 3 Wake Forest faces UC Santa Barbara at 6:30 p.m. In Dallas, fourth-ranked Stanford plays No. 22 Arizona State at 9 a.m., followed by No. 2 Ohio State versus SMU at 12 p.m., top-ranked Virginia vs. No. 16 Clemson at 3:30 p.m. and No. 6 Mississippi State playing No. 23 Florida at 6:30.

If Baylor defeats UCF, the Bears would face the winner of the Virginia-Clemson match in the quarterfinals at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. While Waco will host back draw matches on Sunday, the semifinals and final of the championship bracket will be held at SMU.

"It's definitely an advantage to play at home in front of the home crowd," Velcz said. You know the courts and you're used to it. It gives us extra confidence to play at home."

Live scoring for all the matches are available at ITA National Indoor, with streaming for the Waco matches available at Baylor TV.

Players Mentioned

Devin Badenhorst

Alexandru Chirita

Luc Koenig

Zsombor Velcz

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