Baylor University Team Page
WACO, Texas - Baylor's 18th-ranked women's tennis team will face a pair of top-50 opponents at the Hurd Tennis Center on Saturday and Sunday. The Lady Bears welcome 17th-ranked Vanderbilt (4-3) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, and then play 46th-ranked Pepperdine (0-4) on Sunday at 1 p.m.
"We're looking forward to being home again," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "Both Vanderbilt and Pepperdine have a great tradition with their tennis programs. We expect the matches to be very competitive this weekend."
Baylor, now 3-4 on the season, looks to bounce back from four consecutive losses against top-20 opponents. Most recently, the team lost three matches at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
In doubles, BU has lost the doubles point in five straight matches, and has fallen to 4-11 overall in doubles matches. Baylor's two ranked players, thirteenth-ranked Ema Burgic and 86th-ranked Megan Horter are a combined 8-4 in the top two spots.
Much like Baylor, Vanderbilt (4-3) was blanked during the ITA National Team Indoor Championships, ending the weekend with a 4-2 loss in consolation play to 16th-ranked Michigan. The Commodores' lineup boasts three ranked singles players, including No. 38 Lauren Mira, No. 51 Georgina Sellyn, and No. 112 Courtney Colton. Colton and Mira are also ranked as a doubles tandem at No. 29, with a 4-3 record.
"Vanderbilt is a team that's been moving up in the rankings," Scrivano said. "They started off strong, and weren't very competitive in the National Indoor. We know that we definitely have our hands full with them."
Baylor is 1-4 all-time against Vanderbilt. The last time these two teams met, the Lady Bears came out with a 4-2 win on May 18, 2006.
Pepperdine (0-4) enters the weekend, after a 4-3 loss to regional rival No. 65 UC Irvine. The Waves will make a pit stop in Ft. Worth to face TCU on Friday before taking on the Lady Bears.
Pepperdine is 3-8 overall in doubles and 8-16 in singles action, tallying a 6-2 mark in the top two spots. Lorraine Guillermo recently earned a straight-set triumph over Stanford's Nicole Gibbs, who was the 2012 NCAA Singles Champion. Pepperdine's lineup boats two ranked singles players: No. 43 Khunpak Issara and No. 124 Ale Granillo. Both are a combined 5-3 in the second and third positions. The eighth-ranked doubles tandem of Issara and Guillermo is 2-1 this season.
"We haven't played Pepperdine in a long time, but they traditionally always have a good team," Scrivano said. "We know that's going to be a tough match, as well."
Overall, Baylor is 5-2 all-time against Pepperdine in a series that dates back to 1993. The last meeting between these two teams was a 4-3 BU victory on Feb. 25, 2008. After this weekend's action, BU will travel to Notre Dame, Ind. to play the 19th-ranked Fighting Irish.
Live stats and a live blog for both matches can be found on BaylorBears.com. Follow @BaylorWTennis for updates on the team all season.