Sept. 13, 2005
WACO, Texas - Baylor's men's tennis team, defending Big 12 Champions and NCAA runners-up, released its 2005-06 schedule that includes nine preseason tournaments and 15 opponents who finished in the top 40 Intercollegiate Tennis Association rankings last season, 12 of which finished in the top 25.
Head coach Matt Knoll enters his tenth year at the helm of the men's program after leading the Bears to the national title match before falling to UCLA 4-3 to finish off the 2005 season 33-1, 7-0. The Bears won their first-ever team NCAA title in 2004. Over his nine seasons at Baylor, Knoll holds a 207-49 record including five Big 12 Championships in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005 and has led the Bears to the NCAA Tournament nine seasons straight.
Five letterwinners return from last year's squad. With no seniors, the team's four juniors will provide leadership for the team. Michal Kokta, Matija Zgaga, Jon Reckewey, and Vladimir Portnov return to action in their junior season. Kokta and sophomore Lars Poerschke both finished last season holding ITA individual rankings. Poershke finished in the No. 53 spot while Kokta ranked No. 106. Baylor welcomes two newcomers this year, Matt Brown, a true freshman from Chesham, England and Leos Vanzura, a sophomore transfer from Cumberland College in Brno, Czech Republic. Sophomore Will Ward, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, sat out last season as a redshirt and will also see action for his first court appearance for the Bears.
For the fifth straight year, the Bears begin fall action hosting the Baylor Intercollegiate Tournament in Waco Sept. 23-25 at the Baylor Tennis Facility.
Baylor springs into regular-season action at the National Tennis Classic Jan. 13-16 in Palm Desert, Calif. and the Sherwood Classic also Jan. 13-16 in Los Angeles, Calif. The Bears will start off dual action Jan. 27 facing Texas A&M Corpus Christi in Waco, Texas. The Bears will face14 non-conference opponents through the end of March.
The Bears will kick-off their seven match conference streak on April 2 hosting Texas Tech and will face the remaining six Big 12 opponents throughout the month of April with four-of-seven matches taking place at home.
Post-season action starts April 27 when Baylor will host the Big 12 Tournament in Waco, Texas. The Bears begin the NCAA Tournament May 12 and the championships will be held in Palo Alto, Calif., May 24-29.
