March 26, 2005

WACO, Texas - The top-ranked Baylor men's tennis team earned a well-deserved six-day break from dual-match play, Mar. 23-28, holding a 17-0 record, 4-0 in conference.

With this season's 17 wins, the Bears have now won a school-record 41 straight matches dating back to last season. During this run, the men's tennis team has earned two team national championships; the 2004 NCAA Championships and the 2005 ITA/USTA National Team Indoor Championships.

Baylor has retained the No. 1 position in all-nine ITA rankings this season. The Bears confirmed the rankings by taking the ITA National Team Indoor in February by defeating then-ranked No. 9 Virginia, 4-1 in the finals. The Bears defended their crown two weeks later against Virginia by handing the Cavaliers their second loss of the season, 4-3.

To add to the prestige of the 17-0 record, the Bears have defeated seven top-10 teams this season and only one of Baylor's opponents was not ranked at the time of their respective matches.

Four Bears rank in singles, while three doubles teams place in the ITA rankings. Senior Benedikt Dorsch holds the No. 1 singles ranking, while fellow senior, and defending NCAA singles champion, Benjamin Becker ranks 49th.

True-freshman Lars Poerschke ranks 17th nationally and leads the team in wins with 28. Vladimir Portnov ranks 89th nationally and is the most recent member of the men's tennis team to earn a spot on the rankings list.

In doubles play, Matija Zgaga and Dorsch rank fifth. The duo holds an 11-3 record after starting 9-0 in the No. 1 court. The 44th-ranked tandem of Michal Kokta and Poerschke hold a 10-4 record on the No. 2 court. The twosome has a team-high 16 wins and are 2-0 versus ranked opponents.

The Bears have eight dual matches remaining in 2005, three against Big 12 Conference schools. Post-season play begins with the Big 12 Tournament April 29-May 1. The NCAA Tournament starts two weeks later on May 13.