WACO, Texas - The Baylor women's tennis team showcased their resilience with a nail-biting 4-3 victory over Arizona on Friday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center, pushing their season record to 5-3.
The Bears set the tone early by clinching the doubles point with decisive wins on Courts Three and One, and despite a spirited comeback attempt by the Wildcats, it was No. 73 Na Dong who sealed the deal on Court One with a clutch performance.
THE RUNDOWN
Baylor came out swinging in doubles, as Dong and Alian Zack dominated the No. 3 line with a swift 6-1 victory. Not long after, Zuzanna Kubacha and Gabrielle Villegas delivered a 6-2 win on Court One, securing the doubles point for the Bears. Court Two was left unfinished with Baylor leading 4-3.
In singles, Arizona quickly grabbed the momentum with straight-set victories on Courts Two and Three, taking a 2-1 lead. However, the Bears responded on Court Five where Zack, earning her second win of the day, triumphed 6-2, 1-6, 6-2 to level the score.
The Wildcats edged ahead again on Court Six as Luna Ivkovic narrowly lost a hard-fought battle, 4-6, 6-7 (3). But Baylor wasn't done yet. Mu-Jie Tzeng mounted a comeback on Court Four, turning the tide with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win.
With the overall match tied at 3-3, the spotlight shifted to Court One. After splitting the first two sets, Dong surged in the third set, clinching a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 victory to secure the team win.
QUOTABLE
Head coach Joey Scrivano expressed his pride in the team's performance: "Yeah, tough match, really proud of the ladies, they competed so hard. This was a total team effort, and it started with doubles.
We came out really fast and strong in doubles, and then it carried over right to the last point in singles. Great team win, proud of the girls, and you know now we gotta recover and get ready for Sunday."
WHAT'S NEXT
The Bears are set to return to the Hurd Tennis Center on Sunday, March 1, for a showdown against No. 6 Arizona State at 1 p.m. CT, following a Cub Tennis Clinic at noon.