Baylor University Team Page
ATLANTA, Ga. -The sixth-ranked Baylor men's tennis team (26-6) fell in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Tennis Championships to No. 4 Virginia (27-2) , 4-0, on Sunday to end its 2014 dual-match season.
The quarterfinal match was scheduled to be played at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex, but was moved to the Bill More Indoor Tennis Center in Atlanta due to rain in the Athens area.
Virginia claimed an early 1-0 lead in the match by winning the doubles point with victories on courts one and two. After falling behind two games, Virginia's Thai-Son Kwiatkowski and Mac Styslinger were able to bounce back and take the first doubles victory on court two over Baylor's Diego Galeano and Tony Lupieri, 8-5. Baylor answered back on court three where Julian Lenz and Michel Dornbusch got past Ryan Shane and Mitchell Frank, 8-6.
Attention then turned to court one where Virginia's 38th-ranked pairing of Alex Domijan and Justin Shane faced Baylor's 21st-ranked pairing of Patrick Pradella and Mate Zsiga. After both teams were able to hold serve, the match was decided in a tiebreaker where Baylor eventually fell 8-7(5).
Virginia continued to roll in singles competition, picking up five of six first set wins. Virginia's Justin Shane was the first to finish on court five, putting away Mate Zsiga, 6-1, 6-3, to go up 2-0. No. 46 Ryan Shane put the Cavaliers up 3-0 with his 6-3, 6-4 victory on court three over Diego Galeano.
Baylor fought off multiple match points on courts one and six, before sixth-ranked Alex Domijan was finally able to beat Baylor's third ranked Julian Lenz, 6-4, 6-3, to clinch the match and the 4-0 sweep for Virginia.
Keep up with the Bears all season long by following @BaylorMTennis on Twitter.
HIGHLIGHTS
Baylor finished the season with a 26-6 record on the year
Baylor finished the year 5-5 against teams ranked in the top-10
BU was 5-3 on the year in neutral site contests.
The Bears recorded their best record since 2009 when they finished the season with an identical 26-6 record.
BU's overall record in the quarterfinal round is now 4-7
STAT OF THE DAY
3- The number of teams that defeated the Bears in the 2014 dual-match season. Oklahoma, USC and Virginia all defeated the Bears twice during the season.
TOP QUOTE #1
"We were up 5-3 in the breaker on doubles and I thought we had a chance. We didn't execute. They played big like we expected and you have to give them credit. We needed all the points we could get. I thought our guys fought really hard when their backs were against the wall. They served for four match points and we broke them. We dug ourselves too deep a hole. We were gritty and we fought until the end, but we just didn't give enough." Head coach Matt Knoll on the match.
TOP QUOTE #2
"I think it is a different sport outside. There is no question about it. We can't control those things We needed to be able to come in here and play a little bit better and we feel like outside is the place for us, but that is just the way it goes." - Head coach Matt Knoll on playing the quarterfinal match indoors.
WHAT'S NEXT
Although Baylor's dual-match season has come to a close, the Bears will be represented in Athens by three singles competitors and one doubles pairing in the NCAA individual Championships to be held May 21-26. Pradella and Zsiga will represent BU on the doubles side while Lenz, Pradella and Galeano will compete in the singles competition.
