Baylor Bear Insider
Up a break in the third set in two of the remaining three matches, 21st-ranked Baylor women's tennis was in position to beat No. 4 Texas for the first time in five years Saturday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center.
With a chance to force a three-way tie for second place in the conference standings, the Bears came up just short, falling 4-3 to the Longhorns with a split of the third-setters.
"Just credit to the Texas team, they played the big points well," said Baylor coach Joey Scrivano, whose team fell to 16-7 overall and 6-3 in the Big 12. "But, we're coming. Our team's improving immensely.
"I've said this for a while, but we're trending the right way. Sometimes, you don't see it on the court. But, as a coach, I'm seeing some huge growth. The biggest thing today is our mindset was just a whole different level. And when you have that type of mindset as an athlete, anything's possible."
Celebrating their Senior Day, the fourth-ranked duo of Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero Linana defeated 13th-ranked Peyton Stearns and Allura Zamarripa, 6-3, in No. 1 doubles.
Freshmen Ana Carmen Zamburek and Anita Sahdiieva were on serve with UT's Kylie Collins and Charlotte Chavatipon on Court 2 when Alina Shcherbinina and Isabella Harvison clinched the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Sabina Zeynalova and Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 3.
"I think we have one of the best, top to bottom, doubles lineups in the country," Scrivano said. "That says a lot, because it's only one set and the margins are small. But, all three teams are playing well. They're gelling, the chemistry is good, and they're getting the whole idea of, this is not just about hitting shots. It's more than that."
Splitting the six first sets when Herrero Linana won a tiebreaker against the 49th-ranked Collins at No. 2 singles, the Bears were in position to get the four points. But, the Longhorns won in straight sets at Nos. 1, 3 and 6 and split sets on the other three courts.
"It's always good for the team to win the doubles, because it means we're ready from the beginning, we're here to compete," Herrero Linana said. "But, it doesn't mean anything. At the end of the day, you win doubles and you still have to get three more points. It was cool to win that point, but we knew it was going to be a tough match after it."
Shcherbinina got an early service break in the third set on Court 4 and upset the 113th-ranked Chavatipon, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, closing the gap to 3-2.
Sahdiieva was up a break at 4-3 in the third set, but Ovrootsky broke the Baylor freshman twice and won the last three games to clinch the match with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 5.
Scrivano said Shcherbinina and Sahdieeva are "the future of the program, and they're having an incredible freshman year."
"There is so much room for growth, but they're trending the right way," he said. "And they're going to have a great postseason, I have no doubt."
With the team match decided, Herrero Linana dominated a third-set super tiebreaker to beat Collins, 7-6(4), 5-7, 1-0(10-5), for a ranked win on Court 2.
"I think at the beginning of the match and after the match, we were really excited for being seniors," said Herrero Linana, who was recognized along with Krywoj and Paula Baranano, who has already decided to come back for an extra year. "But, I think once we stepped on the court, we were able to focus and just get ready and keep working on our task."
Seeded fourth for the Big 12 Championship in Fort Worth, Baylor will face 29th-ranked and fifth-seeded Kansas (14-9) in the quarterfinals next Friday, April 22.
"We are very confident going into the Big 12 tournament," Scrivano said. "Because we're playing with great momentum and we're making so many positive strides forward, we've just got to keep things going and keep pressing. When you're playing well, play more."
THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas – No. 21 Baylor women's tennis dropped a hard-fought match to No. 4 Texas, 4-3, on Senior Day at Hurd Tennis Center Saturday afternoon.
Baylor stormed out to a 1-0 lead thanks to a strong showing in doubles. No. 4 Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero topped No. 13 Peyton Stearns and Allura Zamarripa, 6-3. That marked the second top-15 win for Krywoj and Herrero as the duo previously defeated No. 4 Ivana and Carmen Corley of Oklahoma (March 25).
While freshmen Ana Carmen Zamburek and Anita Sahdiieva were putting up a fight on court two, the Bears clinched the doubles point on court three with the 6-4 win over Sabina Zeynalova and Vivian Ovrootsky.
Texas then strung together three-straight singles wins to take a 3-1 lead. However, freshman Alina Shcherbinina kept the Bears in it with her 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 win over No. 113 Charlotte Chavatipon.
Meanwhile, Sahdiieva was battling on court five but fell to Ovrootsky, 6-2, 1-6, 4-6. That clinched the match for the Longhorns, but the teams continued to play out the match.
On court two, Herrero faced No. 49 Kylie Collins. Because the match was clinched by the time they reached the third set, the two played a 10-point tiebreaker. Herrero prevailed, 7-6(4), 5-7, 1-0 (10-5).
HIGHLIGHTS
- Mel Krywoj and Alicia Herrero picked up their fifth ranked win of the season.
- Baylor recorded its 17th doubles win of the season.
- Texas has won every doubles point in Big 12 play until Saturday afternoon.
- Herrero picked up a ranked win vs. No. 49 Kylie Collins.
- Alina Shcherbinina recorded a ranked win over No. 113 Charlotte Chavatipon.
QUOTE
Joey Scrivano on the match…
"Credit to the Texas team. They played the big points well. But we're coming. Our team's improving immensely. We're training the right way. Sometimes you don't see it on the court, but as a coach I'm seeing some huge growth. The biggest thing today was that our mindset was at a whole other level. When you have that type of mindset as an athlete, anything's possible."
UP NEXT
No. 21 Baylor heads to Fort Worth for the Big 12 Tennis Championship next week.
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The Link LonkApril 16, 2022 at 02:00PM
https://baylorbears.com/news/2022/4/16/womens-tennis-no-21-wt-drops-hard-fought-match-to-no-4-texas
No. 21 WT Drops Hard-Fought Match to No. 4 Texas - BaylorBears.com
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