College Tennis News - Baylor Tops No. 34 Memphis, 5-0

WACO, Texas - The 22nd-ranked Baylor men's tennis team defeated No. 34 Memphis 5-0 Thursday night at the Hurd Tennis Center.

"I thought we did great," head coach Matt Knoll said. "They are a good team. Anybody who watches them sees how physical their team is. They are a team of big guys who hit the ball hard and that makes them good in doubles. I was proud of our guys for getting through the doubles and getting the singles was tough. The scoreboard says 5-0, but it was tough out there. We had to fight hard and I give Memphis a lot of credit in that one."

BU improved to 14-4 with the win, while Memphis fell to 7-6 on the season.

The Bears claimed the first match in doubles competition with a win on court 3 where Tony Lupieri and Julian Lenz defeated Johnny Grimal and David O'Leary, 8-3. On court two, the doubles pairing of Connor Glennon and Cedric De Zutter gave BU all it could handle before Patrick Pradella and Roberto Maytin pulled out an 8-6 victory to give the Bears a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.

As singles competition got underway, the 71st-ranked Lenz and No. 80 Lupieri got off to great starts taking the first sets in their respective matches 6-1.

The 33rd-ranked Pradella was the first Baylor player to secure a victory with a 6-4, 6-0 win in the No. 1 spot over Glennon to give the Bears a 2-0 lead over the Tigers.

Lenz finished second on court two with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Joe Salisbury, before Lupieri wrapped up a 6-1, 3-6, 6-3 win in the No. 4 spot to clinch the match for the Bears.

Mate Zsiga defeated his opponent 6-4, 6-4 in the No. 3 spot just seconds after the Lupieri win to give the Bears a 5-0 win with two unfinished matches left on court.

Thursday's win gives Baylor a perfect 3-0 all-time record against the Tigers and improves the Bears home record to 11-2 on the season. The win also improves BU's record against ranked opponents this season to 5-4.

The Bears will have a short break for the Easter holiday before returning to action on April 7 when they travel to Lubbock to start conference play against Texas Tech.

"We are really getting better," said Knoll. "I think we will continue to improve and I think we need a break. We are a little worn down. It is tough with school, all the travel and play. This will give the guys an opportunity to step back. It is Easter and we like to give the guys time with their families. I think we will come back refreshed and we will be better."