.jpeg "Bears advance to the second round of NCAA Championships for 11th straight season.")
Bears advance to the second round of NCAA Championships for 11th straight s...
Baylor University Team Page
WACO, Texas -The 13th-ranked Baylor men's tennis blanked Prairie View A&M, 4-0, in the first round of NCAA Championship play Friday night at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
The match was scheduled to be played outdoors at the Hurd Tennis Center, but was moved inside during singles play because of inclement weather.
"It was a great start to the tournament," head coach Matt Knollsaid. "I thought we were a bit flat outside and when we came indoors it raised our energy level. We played pretty well in here. We have a lot to prove in tomorrow's match. I think the guys will be up for it."
With the win, the Bears advance to second round of the NCAA Championships for the 11th consecutive year. The Bears also remain undefeated (19-0) at home when hosting the championships and improve to 44-14 in all-time NCAA play.
On the season, Baylor is now 21-5, while Prairie View A&M finishes the year 8-14.
The doubles pairing of Patrick Pradella and Roberto Maytinstarted the match off with an 8-1 victory on court two over Ronald Chidzikwe and David Aldaz. Baylor broke in the fourth game to go ahead 4-1 in the match and never looked back.
The 63rd-ranked doubles tandem of Mate Zsiga and Diego Galeanosecured the doubles point for the Bears on court one with another 8-1 victory. The Bears broke serve in the third game and won out to close the match.
Singles competition got underway at the Hurd Tennis Center following the doubles action, but was moved indoors because of rain and lightning. Baylor had already gained the lead in five of the six first sets before the match was moved.
At the indoor facility, Galeano defeated Daniel Vasquez 6-2, 6-0 on court four to secure the Bears first point in singles competition.
Maytin was next to finish with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Jonathon Dingle on court five to put the Bears up 3-0 in the match. Maytin's win snapped a two-match losing streak.
The 109th-ranked Tony Lupieriwon the race between three Baylor players who were all in contention to clinch the match point. The win was the 10th in a row for the Zagreb, Croatia, native.
Marko Krickovicand Zsiga were both leading 5-0 in the second set when Lupieri defeated Ronald Chidzikwe to give the Bears their ninth shutout win of the season.
Baylor will be back in action Saturday night when they host 25th-ranked Tulsa (16-7) in the second round of the NCAA Tennis Championships at 6 p.m. at the Hurd Tennis Center.
"We know their team," Knoll said. "They have a very good team and they have a winning streak against us. We have a lot to prove in this match. We feel like the first match was a long time ago and that we have grown a lot. Tomorrow we get a chance to prove it."
To stay up to date with the team all season follow @BaylorMTennis on Twitter.
