May 11, 2017 
By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Foundation
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹After losing three in a row and four of its last five, the seventh-seeded Baylor men's tennis team (21-7) will have a key piece back in place when the Bears host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Championship at the Hurd Tennis Center.
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹Freshman Bjoern Petersen, sidelined with an injury since Feb. 3, will be in the lineup when Baylor faces Lamar (18-8) at 1 p.m. Friday. No. 2 in the German junior rankings, Petersen was expected to play up near the top of the lineup before his injury.
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹"To have another good player available is going to be a big deal for us," coach Matt Knoll said. "He's going to get to play, and I think he'll play well. That's going to make a big difference."
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹A finalist at the Jack Kramer Invitational in the fall, where he lost to senior teammate Max Tchoutakian, Petersen won his first two dual matches in the spring before losing a three-setter to Texas A&M's Jordi Arconada and then retiring in the second set of a match against Lamar's Sebastian Santibanez 3 ½ months ago.
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹"Anyone that's been on any kind of team and sat the bench, whether the coach isn't calling your number or you're hurt, that's tough," Knoll said. "You're still showing up every day. He's still out there spending the same amount of time, even though he hasn't been able to practice a lot of that time because he's recovering or he's riding the bike or doing rehab. But it's taking a big chunk out of his day. And then, to travel all over the place and support your teammates is fantastic, but it sure is a lot better to play. He's going to be jacked out of his mind to get a chance to contribute."
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹Baylor is making its 20th consecutive NCAA Championship appearance and hosting for the 13th time after traveling to Georgia last year and seeing its string of Round of 16 trips snapped at 14.
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹"We worked really hard to be here," said 15th-ranked sophomore Juan Benitez, a second-team All-Big 12 pick in singles and first-team selection in doubles with fellow sophomore Will Little. "And the fact that we're hosting the first two rounds is just exciting. Not everyone gets to host. . . . We're just excited to prove that we have the talent and also the desire to win the NCAAs."
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹Benitez, Tchoutakian and sophomore Johannes Schretter were selected to play in the NCAA Championship singles tournament, with Benitez going in as a 9-16 seed, while Benitez and Little will play in the doubles at the final site in Athens, Ga. à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹For the team to get there, though, the Bears have to first get past Lamar and 26th-ranked Cornell (22-3), which shut out No. 43 Rice, 4-0, in the other first-round matchup. Saturday's second-round match is scheduled for 4 p.m. on the stadium courts at the Hurd Tennis Center, with the winner advancing to the Round of 16 next week in Athens.
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹"We need to be ready for it and focus point-by-point," Tchoutakian said. "It's such a big advantage (hosting), because we know the courts and hopefully we're going to have a big crowd out here to support us."
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹Baylor has won eight in a row against Lamar and leads the all-time series, 9-4, including a 6-1 win in the Feb. 3 match in Waco. Other than Petersen, the Bears lost just 17 games combined in the other five singles matches.
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹Lamar is making its second straight NCAA Championship appearance after defeating top-seeded Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 4-1, in the Southland Conference tournament final.
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹The Bears have been off since a 4-2 loss to Texas Tech in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals on April 27.
à ¢Ã¢' ¬Ã¢ ‚¬ ¹"It's funny. You go through the whole spring playing several matches a week and you feel like you're in a rhythm for match, match, match," Knoll said. "And now, you step back and practice a little bit more, which I think was welcomed. It's been great to be able to practice and hopefully get some things tuned up, and we'll be ready to go."
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 20-17, with Baylor students getting free admission with a valid ID.
WACO, Texas - For the 20th-consecutive year, the Baylor men's tennis team will play in the NCAA Tennis Championships starting Friday at the Hurd Tennis Center.
The seventh-ranked Bears will take on Lamar at 1 p.m. CT in first round action. No. 26 ranked Cornell will face 43rd-ranked Rice in the other first round match at 10 a.m. The winners of those two matches will then play on Saturday, May 13, at 4 p.m. CT for a spot in the NCAA Championship Round of 16.
The Bears will host the first and second rounds for the 13 time in their 20 NCAA appearances, and the fourth time in the last five years.
BU is currently 21-7 on the season, but has lost three straight matches.
Tickets to the matches are $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 2-17. Baylor students with a valid student ID get in free.
TEAM NOTES
- Baylor is 53-18 (.746) all-time in NCAA Championship play. BU is 17-2 in first round matches and 16-1 in second round action.
- The Bears are 12-7 versus ranked opponents and 9-2 in home matches in 2017.
- Baylor is 24-0 when hosting first and second round NCAA Championship action and 26-1 all-time in NCAA matches in Waco.
- Baylor, currently ranked No. 7, was ranked as high as No. 3 on April 4 after a 19-3 start.
- The Bears won the 2004 NCAA Team Championship, which was Baylor's first team NCAA title in any sport.
- BU has reached the round of 16 16 times, including 14 straight trips prior to last season's second round exit.
- Baylor is coming off a quarterfinal loss in the Big 12 Championship and has lost 4 of its last 5 matches.
- BU is 17-11 in doubles points and 16-1 in matches when winning the doubles point and 5-6 when dropping the opening point.
- Baylor rolled past Lamar with a 6-1 on Feb. 3. The Bears have won 8-straight matches over Lamar and lead the all-time series 9-4.
RESULTS/COVERAGE
Live scoring and video for the all first and second round matches can be found at BaylorBears.com. BU's matches will also feature a live blow. Complete meet recaps and video highlights can be found at the conclusion of each day of competition at BaylorBears.com.
To stay current on all things Baylor Tennis, follow the team on Twitter: @BaylorTennis.
