May 12, 2003

WACO, Texas - For the second straight year, Baylor men's tennis head coach Matt Knoll has been named Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) South Central Region Coach of the Year. Knoll's Bears are currently ranked 3rd nationally and are seeded second in the 2003 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships.

Under Knoll's guidance in 2003 the Bears won their second straight Big 12 regular season and tournament titles. Baylor has won Big 12 championships in three of the last four seasons. Baylor is currently 27-1 on the season and has won a school record tying 18 straight matches. The Bears' 27 victories so far ties the program's record for most victories in a season, set last year.

Baylor, for the fourth time in five seasons, has advanced to the round of 16 of the NCAA Men's Tennis Championships. The Bears defeated UT-Arlington and TCU to advance and will face 16th-ranked Alabama on Saturday, May 17 at 11 a.m. (CDT) at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.

Knoll is 149-61 in eight seasons as a head coach and 141-45 in his seven years at Baylor. Baylor has appeared in the NCAA Championships for six straight seasons, all under Knoll. In the past five years, the Bears have posted four, 20-win campaigns and are 52-3 over the past two years.

As a result of the regional honor, Knoll is included in a select group of seven other regional winners to be considered for selection as the National Wilson/ITA Coach of the Year.

Knoll's Coaching Honors:
1998 - Big 12 Coach of the Year
1999 - National Coach of the Year by College Tennis A.M.
2002 - Big 12 Coach of the Year; ITA Region VI Coach of the Year
2003 - Big 12 Coach of the Year; ITA South Central Region Coach of the Year