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April 23, 2003
WACO, Texas -
#36 Baylor (11-11) No. 1 Seed in Big 12 Tourney
Bears to face winner of Colorado/Kansas Match
Big 12 Tournament
April 24-27 - Plaza Tennis Center
Kansas City, Mo.
Baylor's women's tennis team claimed its first Big 12 championship when they finished league play at 9-2. The Bears and Texas A&M each earned the title but Baylor is the tournament's No. 1 seed by virtue of their 4-3 victory over the Aggies on March 25 in College Station.
The Bears received a first-round tournament bye and will play the winner of the Colorado/Kansas match on Friday, April 25 at 9 a.m.
Colorado is currently ranked No. 38 and finished league play at 5-6. They are 12-7 overall. They are the No. 8 seed in the tournament. Baylor defeated Colorado 4-3 on April 13 in Boulder. The Bears took the doubles point by winning at Nos. 2 and 3 and took singles matches at Nos. 1 (Vida Mulec), 5 (Barbora Blahutiakova) and 6 (Zuzana Krchnakova). Nebraska enters the tournament as the No. 9 seed after posting a 3-8 league mark. The Huskers are ranked No. 66 nationally with a 7-11 season record. Baylor defeated the Huskers on April 10 in Lincoln 7-0. The only match the Bears lost to the Huskers was at No. 2 doubles when Alison Bradley and Daria Potapova lost to Lislie harvey and Stacey Tomkiewicz, 8-1. Baylor won the other two doubles matches and swept all six singles matches.
Team Notes...
-All but two of the Bears' matches have been against teams ranked in the top 75 nationally. In fact, 15 of their matches have been against teams ranked in the top 50.
-The women's tennis team is 26-10 in its two-year history at the Baylor Tennis Center.
-Daria Potapova is 15-4 in her last 19 matches which includes a nine-match winning streak. The sophomore is a team-leading 15-6 in dual match competition.
-Daria Potapova is Baylor's lone 20-match winner so far this season. However, Vida Mulec and freshman IzabelaMijic each have 19 wins and freshman Stephanie Balzert has 18.
-Senior Vida Mulec is 8-2 over her last 10 matches and 5-1 in her last six matches.
-The tandem of Barbora Blahutiakova and Izabela Mijic have posted a 4-1 record in dual match play. All five matches have come at the No. 3 position. They are 3-1 in Big 12 competition.
Bears Claim First Conference Crown...
Baylor's women's tennis team claimed its first Big 12 championship the conference office announced today. Baylor and Texas A&M each earned the title when both teams finished Big 12 play with identical 9-2 records.
The Baylor women claimed their first league championship after second place finishes in 1997 and 2000. Baylor, under head coach Joey Scrivano who is in his first season with the program, is currently ranked No. 37 nationally. The Bears earned the No. 1 seed in the Big 12 Tournament by defeating Texas A&M in head-to-head competition. Baylor posted a 4-3 victory over the Aggies in College Station on March 25.
Head Coach Joey Scrivano...
Baylor Head Coach Joey Scrivano is in his first season at the helm of the women's tennis program. He has a career record of 71-29 which includes his three year stint at the University of South Alabama (60-18). While at South Alabama he led the program to three straight NCAA Tournament appearances in three years including a quarterfinals finish in 2000.
Mulec Moving Up...
Senior Vida Mulec currently ranks No. 3 on Baylor's career singles victory list. She is tied with Karin Andersson with 91. In career doubles she currently has 70 victories which ranks her fourth on Baylor's list.
Baylor's Big 12 Finishes
2003 - 1st
2002 - 4th
2001 - 3rd
2000 - 2nd
1999 - 5th
1998 - 5th
1997 - 2nd
Academic All-Big 12...
Three women's tennis team members were among the 42 players named 2003 Academic All-Big 12. Vida Mulec, a senior international business major, was named first-team Academic All Big 12 for the third straight season. Junior Alison Bradley, a business major, also earned first team honors. Sophomore Daria Potapova, an international business major, was named to the second team.
