March 24, 2012

Kansas Downed in Hard Fought Match 4-3, by #13 Baylor

March 24, 2012

#13 Baylor 4, Kansas 3
Jayhawk Tennis Center / Lawrence, Kan.

Junior Monica Pezzotti returns a serve in her singles match versus Baylor’s Diana Nakic

Doubles Results
1.	Burgic/Secerbegovic (BU) def. Pezzotti/Windom (KU)	8-6
2.	Nakic/Novakova (BU) def. Hill/Chricosta (BGSU)	8-5
3.	Khanevskaya/Dreyer (KU) def. Horter/Stainback (BU)	8-5

Singles Results
1.	Nakic (BU) def. Pezzotti (KU)	6-1, 6-1
2.	Secerbegovic (BU) def. Los (KU)	6-2, 6-1
3.	Novakova (BU) def. Ludueña (KU)	6-1, 6-1
4.	Windom (KU) def. Horter (BU)	6-7, 7-6, 12-10
5.	Dreyer (KU) def. Stainback (BU)	6-3, 6-3
6.	Khanevskaya (KU) def. (BU)	**Default

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas tennis team hung tough with the #13 ranked Baylor Bears Saturday at the Jayhawk Tennis Center, but fell by a 4-3 score. With the defeat Kansas falls to 9-6 on the year and 0-3 in Big 12 play, while Baylor improves to 14-5 and 1-1.

The match started out with doubles action, where the tandem of Victoria Khanevskaya and Claire Dreyer defeated BU’s Megan Horter and Abby Stainback, 8-5. The Bears took the other two doubles sets against KU’s Pezzotti/Windom and Los/Luduena, 8-6, 8-5.

After Khanevskaya won her singles match due to a Baylor default, Dreyer went on to sweep her match with Stainback 6-3, 6-3. Sophomore Dylan Windom came from behind after dropping her first set 6-7, to win two in a row against Horter 7-6, and 12-10 in the set’s tie-breaker.

In other singles action, Monica Pezzotti fell to BU’s Diana Nakic (1-6, 1-6), while Paulina Los dropped her match with Baylor’s Nina Secerbegovic (2-6, 1-6). The Bears tallied their final point on Sona Novokova’s (6-1, 6-1) defeat of KU’s Maria Belen Luduena.

The Jayhawks will have just hours to rest before their next conference match, which comes against Texas Tech at 12 p.m. at the Jayhawk Tennis Center in Lawrence.

POST MATCH QUOTES…

Kansas head coach Amy Hall-Holt
On her team’s performance:
“We came out with everything to gain in this match and the girls put it all out there. I am so proud of the performances today, even though it was a loss, they competed well against a Top-25 team.”

On the competitiveness of the Big 12 Conference:
“We want to win the conference and the girls know that we are in a powerhouse conference, so we have to step up every day. We are getting there with some of the things we have been working on in practice and the girls have really embraced what we are trying to do around here. You can see that in their fight and determination on the court.”

Kansas sophomore Claire Dreyer
On her team’s energy:
“Everybody cheering today was so important and I think the fact that we were loud helped me. Dylan (Windom) was cheering me on and I was cheering her on, so I thought that was definitely important in the match.”

On playing back-to-back matches at home:
“It means a lot because we have people coming out to cheer us on, which is great and we’re comfortable on these courts. We play on them every day, so it’s nice to be out here.”