May 11, 2005
PROVO, Utah - #14 Baylor Heads to NCAA Tournament
First and Second Rounds
BYU Outdoor Tennis Courts - Provo, Utah
Hosted by BYU
First Round
Friday, May 13 - 11 a.m. (CDT)
#14 Baylor (22-5) vs. Niagara (15-8)
#21 BYU (21-3) vs. #36 Sacramento State (23-4)
Second Round
Saturday, May 14 - 11 a.m. (CDT)
Winner match 1 vs. winner match 2
Live internet scoring of Baylor matches - www.baylorbears.com
For the eighth time in program history Baylor's women's tennis team has been selected to participate in the 64-team 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships will take on Niagara University in the first round of the tournament. Host BYU and Sacramento State will face off in the other first round match at the BYU Outdoor Tennis Courts.
Baylor, the tournament's No. 15 seed and Big 12 Conference champions, enters the tournament with a 22-5 record and is ranked No. 14 in the most recent ITA poll. Niagara is 15-8 on the season and received an automatic bid to the tournament after winning the Metro Atlantic Conference race. Sacramento State and BYU are both 20-match winners this season. Sacramento State, ranked No. 36 in the latest poll, sports a 23-4 record and claimed the Big Sky Conference championship while BYU, Mountain West Conference champions, is 21-3 on the season and is ranked No. 21 in the national poll.
BYU is one of 16 teams hosting a regional in the 64-team field, hosting first and second rounds. The victor in the BYU/Sacramento State will face the winner of the Baylor/Niagara University match in the second round. The winner of the second round will advance to the Round of 16 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia.
Baylor Notes...
-All but five of the Lady Bears' matches have been against teams ranked in the top 75 nationally. In fact, 14 of their matches have been against teams ranked in the top 50.
-BU won its second Big 12 title in 2005, the team shared championship honors with Texas A&M in 2003.
-Baylor posted its first-ever undefeated Big 12 season with an 11-0 mark. -The women's tennis team is 42-14 in its three-year history at the Baylor Tennis Center.
- The Lady Bears are 10-1 at the Baylor Tennis Center this season and 3-1 when they've had to move home matches to indoor courts.
- For the first time in school history, five players have posted 20-win seasons: Klara Zrustova (26), Zuzana Krchnakova (24), Zuzana Cerna (22), Zuzana Zemenova (21) and Daniela Covello (20). In addition, Iva Mihaylova is only one victory away from reaching the 20-win mark.
- BU has blanked eight teams this season.
- BU has swept Nos. 3-6 singles 11 times this season.
- In singles since February, BU is 21-2 at No. 1, 14-8 at No. 2, 20-6 at No. 3, 21-3 at No. 4, 22-5 at No. 5 and 18-3 at No. 6.
Head Coach Joey Scrivano...
Baylor Head Coach Joey Scrivano is in his third season at the helm of the women's tennis program, he guided the team to its first-ever Big 12 championship in 2003 and the squad repeated in 2005 by winning sole possession of the title with its first undefeated league record. He has a career record of 106-47 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. Scrivano has now guided teams to five NCAA Tournaments in six seasons.
Big 12 Player of the Week...
Freshman Zuzana Zemenova is the lone Lady Bear to receive Big 12 Player of the Week honors this season. She was recognized for her accomplishments by the league office on April 11.
Baylor in the NCAA Tournament...
The 2005 season marks Baylor's eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Bears sport a 3-7 NCAA Tournament record.
First round - 2-5
Second round - 1-1
Round of 16 - 0-1
Quarterfinals - 0-0
Semifinals - 0-0
Finals - 0-0
1996
First round - Lost to Texas A&M, 5-1
1997
First round - Lost to Tennessee, 5-1
1998
First round - Lost to LSU, 5-0
1999
First round - Lost to Miami, 5-1
2000
First round - Defeated Indiana, 5-1
Second round - Lost to Texas, 5-0
2001 - 15th seed - hosted first and second rounds
First round - Defeated UT-Arlington, 5-0
Second Round - Defeated Penn, 4-0
Round of 16 - Lost to Georgia, 4-0
2003
First round - Lost to #11 Clemson, 4-1
2005
First Round - Vs. Niagara
NCAA Singles and Doubles Selections...
Singles - Zuzana Zemenova, Carolin Walters
Doubles - Daniela Covello/Zuzana Cerna
Hasn't Happened Since...
This season Baylor has five players that have posted 20-win seasons: Klara Zrustova (26), Zuzana Krchnakova (24), Zuzana Cerna (22), Zuzana Zemenova (21), Daniela Covello (20). In 2004 Baylor had three players who posted 20-win seasons, a feat that hadn't occurred since the 1995-96 squad accomplished it.
Youthful Roster...
The future of Baylor women's tennis looks bright. The 2005 Big 12 championship squad's roster features two juniors (Covello, Krchnakova), four sophomores (Cerna, Mihaylova, Walter, Zrustova) and two freshmen (Korsawe, Zemenova).
