Baylor University Team Page
WACO, Texas - The 15th-ranked Baylor men's tennis team picked up its second win of the season with a 7-0 shutout victory vs. SMU on Friday in the grand-opening match for the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
"It was a prefect night for us," head coach Matt Knoll said. "I was just telling our freshmen how hard it is to win 7-0 no matter who you are playing. It is just a real credit to our guys for doing a great job finishing."
Baylor improved to 2-0 on the season, while the loss dropped SMU to 0-4.
The Bears took the doubles point with a win from the No. 1 duo of Mate Zsiga and Diego Galeano, 8-2. The No. 2 team of Patrick Pradella and Marko Krickovic followed with an 8-4 victory to clinch the point.
At the conclusion of doubles play, Baylor officials held a dedication ceremony to recognize the generosity of Jim and Nell Hawkins that was instrumental in getting the new indoor facility built. During the ceremony, Knoll addressed the record-setting crowd and both Jim and Nell Hawkins hit ceremonial first serves.
"It was sort of a who's who of the Baylor tennis crowd," Knoll said. "I saw a lot of people at the banquet and up in the stands that we unfortunately don't get to see a lot of the time because they live elsewhere. For so many people to make such an effort to get here and support us really means a lot."
The Bears were able to keep their momentum rolling in the singles matches as Pradella picked up a quick win 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Galeano followed with a victory on court five, beating Mischa Nowicki 6-2, 6-3.
Attention then turned to court one where No. 60 Mate Zsiga met up with No. 83 Artus Kazijevs. Zsiga ended up claiming the match-clinching point with a score of 6-0, 6-2.
Newcomer Tony Lupieri, playing at the No. 4 spot, downed Nate Lammons, 6-4, 6-3, to stretch BU's lead to 5-0.
Baylor was tested early on court two were 50th-ranked Marko Krickovic faced Alex Sanders. After winning the first set 7-6 in a 7-5 tie break, Krickovic was able to close out the match with a dominating 6-0 win in the second set.
The last point of the night came on court six were Robert Verzaal played a three-set match with Eduardo Razzeto. Verzaal took the first set 7-6 with a 7-4 win in the tiebreaker. Verzaal fell in the second set 2-6, but ended up taking the match with a 12-10 win in the third set.
Baylor has now won 17 straight vs. SMU, but still trails in the overall series 20-28. The Bears have also won 19 consecutive home-openers. During the month of January, the Bears have produced a 33-7 record under Knoll. Overall, Knoll is 207-28 at home, including a 164-12 mark over the last 11 years.
The Bears will now head back on the road to face 24th-ranked Tulsa at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on Feb. 3 at 1 p.m.
To stay up-to-date with the team all season long follow @BaylorMTennis on Twitter.
