LUBBOCK, Texas - It was one of those days on Sunday at the McLeod Tennis Center.
No. 15 Texas Tech (18-5, 8-1 Big 12) started slow in doubles and No. 28 Baylor (15-13, 8-1 Big 12) took advantage and did not let up, as the Bears topped the Lady Raiders, 4-3, in the Big 12 Conference women's tennis finale to decide first place in the league.
By virtue of the Baylor win, the two teams are 2013 co-Big 12 Champions and the Bears will serve as the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Championships, while the Lady Raiders will enter as the No. 2 seed. The loss for Texas Tech also snapped a nine-match winning streak, the fourth longest in program history.
"Any way you look at, these young ladies put in the work to win back-to-back Big 12 Conference titles," said Lady Raider head coach Todd Petty. "We didn't end the way we wanted to today, but we also know that we still have some unfinished business ahead of us."
It was a strange day from the very beginning, as the Lady Raiders trailed from all three doubles positions right from the start. That hadn't truly happened since the Auburn match on Feb. 21. It is the only other time this year that Texas Tech lost the doubles point like it did today.
The difference today was the Lady Raiders did not lead in any doubles match when the point was decided.
Baylor's No. 17 duo of Ema Burgic and Victoria Kisialeva broke Tech's No. 15 tandem of Samantha Adams and Kenna Kilgo early and never looked back en route to an 8-4 win at No. 1. The Bears' Alex Leatu and Kiah Generette the jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead on Caroline Starck and Elizabeth Ullathorne and the Tech seniors could catch up and lost 8-4 and the first point went to the Ladies of Waco.
Burgic, who is No. 10 nationally and riding an 18-match winning streak, then dispatched Tech's No. 93 Adams, 6-3, 6-1. Adams has been playing her best tennis of the year of late, but Burgic was too much on Sunday.
Texas Tech's Sanders cut it to 2-1 with a straight set win over Leatu, 6-1, 6-2, but The Bears answered with wins from Jordaan Sanford and Kisialeva to secure the 4-1 win with two matches on the court.
Baylor then defaulted No. 4 and No. 6 to Ullathorne and Starck for the final 4-3 result.
Texas Tech will return to action on Friday at the Big 12 Championships in Norman, Okla., at the Headington Family Tennis Center at 3 p.m. against the winner of seventh-seeded Kansas State and 10th-seeded West Virginia.
If the Lady Raiders win, it would pit second-seeded Texas Tech against either No. 3 Texas or No. 6 Oklahoma State on Saturday at 3 p.m. If the Lady Raiders advance to the finals, they are set for 1 p.m. on Sunday at the Headington Family Tennis Center on the Campus of the University of Oklahoma.
#28 Baylor 4, #15 Texas Tech 3
Lubbock, Texas (McLeod Tennis Center)
Singles
1. #10 Ema Burgic (BU) def. #93 Samantha Adams (TT) 6-3, 6-1
2. Victoria Kisialeva (BU) def. Kenna Kilgo (TT) 6-3, 6-4
3. Jordaan Sanford (BU) def. Rashmi Teltumbde (TT) 6-4, 6-3
4. Elizabeth Ullathorne (TT) def. Kiah Generette (BU) 7-6 (7-5), 2-4, default
5. Nikki Sanders (TT) def. Alex Leatu (BU) 6-1, 6-2
6. Caroline Starck (TT) def. Alex Clay (BU) 6-3, 1-6, 1-1, default
Doubles
1. #17 Ema Burgic / Victoria Kisialeva (BU) def. #15 Samantha Adams / Kenna Kilgo (TT) 8-4
2. Rashmi Teltumbde / Nikki Sanders (TT) def. Alex Clay / Jordaan Sanford (BU) 1-0, default
3. Alex Leatu / Kiah Generette (BU) def. Caroline Starck / Elizabeth Ullathorne (TT) 8-4
Match Notes:
#28 Baylor 15-13, 8-1 Big 12; National ranking #28
#15 Texas Tech 18-5, 8-1 Big 12; National ranking #15
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (1,5,3,2)
Texas Tech and Baylor are Co-Champions of the Big 12 Conference
T-2:53 A-573
