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May 31, 2002
WACO, Texas - What a difference a year makes. After finishing the previous season at 12-12, Matt Knoll's young Baylor tennis squad posted the program's best year as they finished the 2001-02 campaign at 27-2, put together a record-breaking 18-match winning streak, won both the Big 12 regular season championship and tournament and ranked as high as No. 4 nationally throughout the season. In addition, the Bears finished the season ranked No. 7 which matched the program's 2000 final ranking, the highest in the program's history.
Buoyed by an infusion of young talent the Bears, without a senior on the roster, posted notice in the fall that they would be a force to be reckoned with come spring. And, that proved to be true. The Bears started out the spring winning nine straight matches, five of which were against ranked opponents, before losing to then-No. 9 Pepperdine. After that loss, the Bears would reel off a school-record 18 straight wins before seeing their season end in the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to eventual national champion Southern California. The Bears' reeled off their third 20-win season in Knoll's six years at the program's helm, made their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and won the program's second Big 12 championship. All of this was achieved with a roster of two juniors, four sophomores and two freshmen.
One of the most impressive performances came from freshman Benjamin Becker. Becker, a native of Orscholz, Germany, burst upon the scene in the fall. His impressive fall campaign included making it to the finals of the ITA Indoor Nationals in singles and making it to the quarterfinals of the ITA All-American in doubles. He debuted the spring campaign ranked No. 3 nationally, the highest ranking ever for a Baylor tennis player. He comtinued to be impressive in the spring earning several honors in addtition to posting a 22-4 dual match record which included a 15-match winning streak. He completed the 2001-02 campaign with a 37-9 singles record which featured a 21-8 mark against ranked opponents and ranked No. 11 nationally at season's end. Becker's freshman honors included: All-American, ITA Region VI Rookie of the Year, ITA Region VI Player to Watch, All-Big 12 (singles and doubles), Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Big 12 Player of the Week (twice), Big 12 gold medals at No 1 singles and No. 2 doubles and preseason all-Big 12. In addition, he and doubles partner Zoltan Papp reeled off 15 straight doubles victories and finshed the year with a 16-1 doubles mark.
A large part of the team's success can be attributed to the improvement and leadership of junior Zoltan Papp. Coming into the spring season, Papp was penciled in at the No. 4 singles position. However, after working extremely hard recovering from knee surgery the previous season, it took the Budapest, Hungary native only seven matches to settle in at No. 2 singles. In dual match competition, Papp was 23-1 which boasted two separate winning streaks of 11 and 13 matches. He was undefeated in league play at 7-0 and advanced to the round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. In addition, he was named All-Big 12 in both singles and doubles and won Big 12 gold medals at No. 2 singles and doubles and was Big 12 Player of the Week. Papp finished the season ranked No. 40 nationally.
Four Bears recorded 30 or more singles wins during the 2001-02 campaign. Zoltan Papp led the way with 39, which tied the team record for most victories in a season, Becker followed with 37 while sophomore Matias Marin recorded 35 and sophomore Markus Hornung claimed 33. In dual match competition, Marin set a tied a Baylor record with 24 singles wins. Papp and Becker also won 20 or more dual matches, Papp recorded 23 and Becker 22.
Newcomer Markus Hornung, a native of Ludwigshafen, Germany, also made an immediate impact upon the Baylor tennis program. He played at No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles for the Bears and set a school record for most doubles victories by an individual with 33. He finished the season ranked in doubles with three different partners. He and Nathan McGregor advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament before losing to the No. 2 ranked team in a three set tiebreaker. The duo ended the season ranked the highest of Baylor's doubles teams at No. 18. Hornung and Reiner Neurohr ranked No. 44 while Benjamin Becker and Hornung were 50th. Honors for Hornung included All-Big 12 in both singles and doubles, Big 12 champion at No. 3 singles and Big 12 Player of the Week.
Sophomores Matias Marin and Reiner Neurohr proved to be rocks at the No. 4 and 5 spots, respectively. Marin tied the school record for most dual match victories in a season with 24 and Neurohr, despite suffering from an elbow injury all season, posted a 15-7 dual match mark. Both players were named Big 12 champions at their respective positions.
Baylor in the NCAA Tournament...
The Bears made their fifth straight NCAA Tournament appearance this year. They reached the round of 16 for the third time in the last four seasons. Southern California, the eventual national champion, defeated Baylor 4-2 in the round of 16.
Head Coach Matt Knoll...
Head coach Matt Knoll completed his sixth season at the Bears' helm. He has a career record of 118-59 in seven seasons as a head coach and is 114-44 in his six years at Baylor. Knoll owns a .722 winning percentage in his six seasons at Baylor. He has guided the Bears to two Big 12 championships (2000 & 2002) and was second in 2001. Under his guidance the Bears have made five straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Second Conference Championship...
With their victory at the University of Oklahoma on Sunday, April 14, the Bears claimed their second Big 12 Championship in three years. They claimed sole possession of the title by defeating Texas A&M, 4-3, in College Station, and remaining undefeated in league play. Baylor also won the title in 2000 with a perfect 8-0 conference record.
First Big 12 Tournament Championship...
The Bears claimed their first Big 12 Tournament championship when they defeated Texas A&M, 4-2, in College Station, the site of the 2002 Big 12 Tournament. Baylor had lost twice before in the tournament finals (1999 & 2000) before claiming victory in 2002.
Records Broken...
Team
Most victories - 27
Most consecutive victories - 18
Highest winning percentage - .931 (27-2)
Individual
Doubles wins - Markus Hornung, 33
Consecutive doubles wins - Benjamin Becker/Zoltan Papp, 14
Records tied
Singles wins in a season - Zoltan Papp 39
Dual match wins in a season - Matias Marin 24
Firsts
First Baylor team to win two Big 12 champsionship
First Big 12 Tennis Tournament championship
