Match Preview: Men's Tennis at No. 20 Miami
3/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 8, 2001
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#19 Baylor (6-2, 3-0) at #20 Miami (9-2)
Friday, March 9, 2001, 5 p.m. CST, Miami, Fla.
The 19th-ranked Baylor men's tennis team will face its first top-20 opponent in six weeks when the Bears travel to Florida to face No. 20 Miami Friday at 5 p.m. CST.
The Bears have won six straight since losing on the road to No. 16 SMU and No. 17 Mississippi State in the first two matches of the season. Friday's match will conclude a stretch where Baylor played seven of the team's first nine matches on the road to open the year.
Miami began the week with a 9-2 record, the team's two losses have come against then-No. 5 Texas A&M on Feb. 25 and against No. 54 Georgia Tech on Wednesday. The Hurricanes are led by seniors Johan Lindqvist and Michael Lang, who hold singles records of 9-2 and 9-1 respectively.
Last season, then-No. 9 Baylor swept then-No. 18 Miami 4-0 in Waco. The two teams played a shortened match that did not include doubles because of Miami's travel schedule.
Team notes:
The Baylor men have won 22 matches in a row at home, dating back to April 17, 1998, when the Bears lost to Texas A&M in the final match of the regular season.
Baylor has won 18 of its last 19 regular season matches against Big 12 opponents, including an active streak of 12 straight.
The Bears' No. 21 ranking (2/21) was the team's lowest ranking at any point since the team finished the 1998 season ranked 26th.
Baylor's 0-2 start was the team's worst start since 1992, when the team also opened 0-2. The Bears have not started 0-3 since 1980.
The two-match losing streak was Baylor's longest since 1998, when the Bears lost the final two matches of the season (Big 12 Tournament quarterfinals and NCAA first round).
Since entering the top 25 in Dec. 1998, the Bears are 17-10 against other top-25 teams.
The Baylor men's and women's tennis teams have both ranked in top 25 for the past 52 weeks, dating to March 15, 2000, when the Baylor women moved up to No. 18.
Individual notes:
Head Coach Matt Knoll: 87-48 in his sixth season, 79-32 at Baylor (in his fifth season)... His 75th win at Baylor came on the road against Tulane (2/11).
Csongor Bibza: Ranks fifth in school history in career singles wins (44)... Sixth in the Baylor record book in career doubles wins (66), two behind fifth-place Johannes Michalsky... Advanced to the B Singles quarterfinals of the Rice Invitational (1/19-1/20)... Beat No. 24 Rene-Charles Combette of Mississippi State in Starkville (1/27).
Zoltan Papp: Had a pre-fall ranking of No. 41, but dropped out of the poll after missing the fall due to injury (ACL tear)... Named preseason all-Big 12 in singles... Saw his first action of the spring (doubles only) against Lamar (1/31)... Returned to the singles lineup with a straight-set win at Tulane (2/11)... Has won his first five singles matches and his first five doubles matches since returning.
Mark Williams: Ranks second in school history with 84 career singles wins, 10 wins behind record-holder Johann Jooste, and is second in career doubles wins (76), three behind David Hodge... Earned his first career singles ranking in September (No. 68)... Suffered an injury against Mississippi State (1/27) which forced him to miss the match against Lamar (1/31) and continues to bother him... Named preseason all-Big 12 in singles.
Other Notes: Freshman Reiner Neurohr earned his first career singles ranking in December at No. 91... Freshman Cory Ross advanced to the C Singles Semifinals at the Rice Invitational (1/19-1/20)... Freshman Matias Marin has won his first six matches to begin his collegiate career.
Doubles notes:
The team of freshman Reiner Neurohr and senior Mark Williams earned a doubles ranking of No. 20 before ever playing a match together... Ranked as high as No. 4 (December 2000)... The pair was named preseason all-Big 12.
The team of Csongor Bibza and Cory Ross has settled in at the No. 2 spot, winning their last six matches and compiling a stellar 12-2 record.
