April 29, 2011
After capturing its ninth Big 12 regular-season title in the last 10 years, the fifth-ranked Baylor men's tennis team will open the 2011 Big 12 Championship as the top-seeded team in the field.
The No. 1 seed affords the Bears a bye in the first round of action and they will await the winner of a quarterfinal match between No. 21 Texas Tech (16-8) and No. 25 Oklahoma (14-6), before beginning championship play on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Baylor Tennis Center.
For the third time in the last 11 years, Baylor will host the Championships as the Baylor Tennis Center served as the event's home in 2001 and 2006 as well.
Entering the match, Baylor (19-3) has won 17 of its last 18 contests, including 11 straight. As the home team this season Baylor is 15-2 with a 14-2 mark at the Baylor Tennis Center.
BAYLOR IN BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP PLAY: The Bears have produced a 28-7 (.800) record overall in Big 12 Championships play. Baylor has been at the top of the championship podium three years out of the last four years and also earned four straight titles from 2002-05. With the seven total crowns, Baylor owns the same amount of titles as the rest of the league combined. The Bears have had four players honored as the event's Most Outstanding Performer.
LAST YEAR AT BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIP: The seventh-ranked Bears entered the 2010 Big 12 Championships in Austin, Texas, as the No. 3 seed and quickly dispatched of Nebraska in the quarterfinal round, 4-0. However, Texas A&M €ˆended the Bears' shot at a fourth straight championship title with a 4-1 win in the semifinal round.
WHEN HOSTING €ˆTHE CHAMPIONSHIPS: In the two previous times that the Bears have hosted this event, they have never finished with a title. In 2001, a second-seeded Baylor squad had a first round bye and then beat seventh-seeded Colorado, 4-0, in quarterfinal action. However, third-seeded Texas then dispatched of the Bears in the semifinals, 4-1. In 2006, the No. 1 seeded Bears downed Nebraska,4-0, in the quarterfinals and then took care of Oklahoma State 4-2 in the semifinals, but a No. 2 seeded Texas squad once again got the better of Baylor, 4-1, in the championship finals.
WHEN BEING THE NO. 1 SEED: This year's Championship will mark the ninth time the Bears have been the No. 1 seed at the event. In the eight previous years that the Bears held that distinction, they have gone on to win six Big 12 titles, while racking up a 20-2 record. In both years that Baylor did not take title, the Bears were knocked out in the championship match.
LAST TIME OUT: Baylor concluded its eighth perfect conference season by upsetting No. 6 Texas A&M, 5-2, at the Baylor Tennis on Wednesday, April 20 to win its ninth regular season crown in the last 10 years. The Bears swept doubles play for the 12th time this season to win the doubles point for the 20th-straight match. Jordan Rux, Sergio Ramirez Kike Grangeiro and Dennis Lengsfeld all claimed singles wins to cement the victory and give Baylor the title.
LOOKING AHEAD: After wrapping up play in the Big 12 Championship, Baylor will wait to hear where it will begin its journey for the 2011 NCAA €ˆChampionships. The selection show will take place on Tuesday, May 3 at 5:30 p.m.
RANKED BEARS: In the latest ITA €ˆteam rankings released on April 26, BU rose two places from No. 7 to No. 5, after the win over the sixth-ranked Aggies. Individually, Baylor has five singles players ranked in the ITA €ˆtop-125 as senior John Peers is ranked No. 17 with a 17-4 record in dual-match play. Senior Sergio Ramirez comes in at No. 69, while freshman Dennis Lengsfeld is No. 92. Sophomore Junior Kike Grangeiro (16-4) is now ranked No. 99 and Roberto Maytin, who has a 15-4 mark in dual-match play, is ranked 103rd. The Bears also have two doubles team listed in the rankings with Peers and Maytin partnering together to be ranked fifth, after posting a 16-2 record. Ramirez and Jordan Rux, who are 14-3 on the season, are ranked No. 43.
SINGLES STREAKS & TRENDS: Senior
John Peers had a string of seven straight match wins snapped versus Texas A&M, but he has been consistent at the top of the lineup this season. Peers is now 17-4 in 20 matches at No. 1 and one match at No. 2. The rest of Baylor's singles lineup has been in flux throughout the year. As part of the changes
Roberto Maytin has played at three different positions, but has recorded a 15-4 mark with 14 wins in his last 17 matches. Kike Grangeiro has also played well for the Bears with an 16-4 record competing at the three, four, five and six spots.
DOUBLES STREAKS & TRENDS: BU has gotten consistent play throughout the dual-match season from all three of its doubles teams. At the top of the lineup,
Roberto Maytin and
John Peers are 16-2, at the No. 2 spot
Sergio Ramirez and
Jordan Rux are 14-3, while at the bottom of the lineup
Julian Bley and Kike Grangeiro have a 15-3 mark. Overall, Baylor has won 20 straight doubles points and has swept doubles 12 times this year.
HOME SWEET HOME: The friendly confines of the Baylor Tennis Center having been very kind to the Bears. Over the 10 years of its existence, Baylor is 144-9 in matches played in Waco. Under Knoll, the Bears are 194-24 when playing at home including matches played at the Streich Courts, the Baylor Tennis Center and various indoor courts in the area. From Jan. 26, 2002 until Jan. 29, 2006, the Bears did not lose a home contest racking up a 72-match win streak. This season, Baylor is 15-2 in home matches with an 14-2 mark at the Baylor Tennis Center.
BAYLOR VS. RANKED OPPONENTS: During Knoll's time in Waco, Baylor has played 342 ranked opponents with the Bears going 258-84 in those matches. This season, the Bears have played 14 ranked opponents and are 11-3 against such foes. Of those 14 ranked teams, eight were inside the ITA top-25 and BU went 5-3 in those matches.
PRE-CHAMPIONSHIP QUOTES - Head Coach Matt Knoll On hosting the Big 12 Championships: "It is great to be here at home. We feel we have a wonderful facility. It is a great chance to highlight that and showcase it. It is great for Waco to have all these teams coming in from all over the country. We are really proud we get a chance to host such a wonderful event."
On his team:
"We have played pretty well. We have taken a little bit of a break now, so it has been a little while since we played. I will be curious how we bounce back, after this gap. I think the guys are rested and we are excited to be back on the courts again."
On recapturing the Big 12 Championship crown: "I really remember the last time we hosted we didn't win it and that didn't feel good. We really would like to do well here and end the season on a high note, so hopefully we can do that."
