No. 8 WT Advances to 2nd Round of NCAA Tourney with 4-0 Win over TAMCC

Friday, May 7

Waco, Texas

5:00 p.m.

Baylor

Texas A&M - Corpus Christi

No. 8 WT Advances to 2nd Round of NCAA Tourney with 4-0 Win over TAMCC

5/7/2021 7:40:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Bears beat Islanders, will face Duke Saturday

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            After watching 18^th-ranked Duke waste no time in a 4-0 sweep of No. 43 Alabama, the eighth-ranked Baylor women needed to make quick work of Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
            And the Bears did just that, taking less than two hours to beat the visiting Islanders, 4-0, in Friday's NCAA Tournament first-round match at the Hurd Tennis Center.
            "The most important thing is that our team was fully present and just accepted the challenges that Corpus Christi was presenting today," said Baylor coach Joey Scrivano, whose team improved to 24-4. "They accepted that Corpus Christi (22-5) is a good team that will challenge us. We just have to do our job, and I am really proud of the team, (because) they did that."
            Baylor's 31^st-ranked duo of Angie Shakhraichuk and Mel Krywoj clinched the first point of the match with a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles over the Islanders' Mariya Shumeika and Camille Townsend. The Bears split at the other two spots, with the No. 3 team of Alicia Herrero Linana and Audrey Boch-Collins cruising to a 6-0 win over Leopoldine Boisseau and Victoire Delattre.
            While it took some longer than others, the Bears also won the first set at all six singles spots to take complete command. Boch-Collins, who subbed in at No. 6 when Krywoj was pulled from the lineup after doubles, got to the finish line first with a clean 6-1, 6-1 win over Delattre.
            "Audrey's a great competitor. She's been in a lot of good matches this season and she's really grown a lot," Scrivano said of the freshman from Las Vegas, who improved to 10-2. "It was great to see her out there and competing so hard. That's what she does."
            At No. 1, Jessica Hinojosa rallied from an early 0-3 deficit to win the first set, 6-4, and was leading Shumeika, 3-2, in the second set when the match ended. Herrero Linana and Kris Sorokolet both trailed in the second set at Nos. 2 and 4, respectively, but it didn't matter.
            Shakhraichuk rolled to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Emma Honore at No. 3, then Paula Baranano closed it out by breaking Boisseau's serve in a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 5 after Boisseau staved off six match points.
            "Angie's been such a warrior for us for the past five years," Scrivano said. "She's just a competitor, especially in those situations where she's trying to close out a match, she's just phenomenal. Paula's had a really great year. She's come from injury, not being here in the fall, and just responded so well. Today was just a great example of her staying the course, doing her mental work, and she did a terrific job."
            A fifth-year senior playing in her fifth NCAA tournament match, Shakhraichuk said she was "just focusing on having fun, first of all, and seeing this challenge as a good opportunity to grow."
            But ultimately, the quick close-out will give the Bears a chance to rest and recover before Saturday's 5 p.m. match against Duke (16-6) for a spot in the Round of 16 and a trip to Orlando, Fla.
            "We know what we have to do from a strategic standpoint, but now the hard part," Scrivano said. "You have to go out there, and your players have to be present and focused and intense. That's something I know our team is going to do. They're going to do the heavy lifting in the next 24 hours and ber ready to play."

THE RUNDOWN
WACO, Texas. – The No. 8-ranked Baylor women's tennis team swept Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Hurd Tennis Center.

The victory gives the Bears (24-4) the opportunity to face Duke in the second round Saturday at 5 p.m. with the win over the Islanders (22-5).

Baylor took wins on the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles courts to begin the match at 1-0. The No. 31-ranked pair of Angelina Shakrhaichuk and Mel Krywoj won 6-2 and improved to 10-1 in dual-match play on the season.

After freshman Audrey Boch-Collins gave the Bears a 2-0 lead on the No. 6 court, the senior, Shakhraichuk, won the 80^th singles match of her career on No. 3 to move Baylor to within one match of the clincher.

Paula Barañano had the match-sealing win with a 6-2, 6-4 win on No. 5.

THEY SAID IT
Baylor Head Coach Joey Scrivano on today's match…
"The most important thing is that our team was fully present and accepted the challenges that Corpus Christi was presenting today. They just accepted that Corpus Christi was a good team that will challenge us, and it is what it is. We just have to do our job and I am just really proud of the team [because] they did that. This Corpus Christi team is no joke. They've had a great year, they were competitive, and super well coached. I am really proud of our team."

On tomorrow's match-up with Duke…
"They have a lot of good players and are really well coached and you can see why. They had a great season and there's a reason they are in the NCAA tournament. They can play."

Angie Shakhraichuk on a 4-0 win allowing for ample recovery time in the second round…
"Yeah, I was ready for it. Since it's hot, late, and we usually play during lunch time, it was great so we can recover [and] mentally relax and be ready for tomorrow."

WHAT'S NEXT
Baylor will face No. 2 seed Duke in the Waco Regional. The Blue Devils are ranked No. 18 in the country and 16-6 overall. The match will take place at 5 p.m. at the Hurd Tennis Center and the winner will advance to Orlando, Fla. for the Sweet 16.