No. 6 Baylor Men's Tennis Takes Down No. 4 Texas in Austin

[Calderone, Max]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – January 30, 2021

No. 6 MT Takes Down No. 4 Texas in Austin
Bears collect another top-five win thanks to four singles victories
For more information contact: Max Calderone, 254-265-1639, Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu<mailto:Max_Calderone at Baylor.edu>

THE RUNDOWN
AUSTIN, Texas. – No. 6 Baylor men’s tennis (6-0) took down another top-five opponent on Saturday, upsetting No. 4 Texas (4-1) 4-1 in Austin.

The Bears bounced back after losing the doubles point to collect four singles victories and seal the match. It’s BU’s second consecutive win against a top-five team in as many matches, having previously topped No. 4 Michigan last weekend in Ann Arbor.

Following an hour and a half weather delay, Charlie Broom/Matias Soto started the match off with a doubles win for the Bears at the third position over Micah Braswell/Cleeve Harper, 6-2. However, BU’s Adrian Boitan/Nick Stachowiak fell to Chih Chi Huang/Payton Holden, 6-3, and the No. 10-ranked pairing of Sven Lah/Constantin Frantzen was upset by Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab, 6-4, giving the doubles point to the Longhorns.

In singles play, No. 56 Soto sparked the Bears as the first to finish, defeating No. 120 Spizzirri 6-4, 6-2 on court two to even the match score. No. 74 Stachowiak followed suit on court four with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Harper to give Baylor an edge, and Spencer Furman held on in the sixth spot to win 6-2, 7-6(5) over Evin McDonald.

With the Bears needing just one more point, No. 43 Lah and No. 46 Boitan battled back from first-set losses to force third sets, but it was No. 103 Broom who clinched it with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 win on court five against Huang.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Baylor has won two straight matches against top-five opponents. The last time the Bears defeated two top-five teams in the same season was 2019.
• This is Baylor’s first win in Austin over the Longhorns since April 12, 2017.
• BU extended its current win streak to 11 matches.
• Baylor is 6-0 for the third time in the last six seasons.
• The Bears are a combined 30-1 in singles play and 14-3 in doubles this season.
• Baylor is 5-1 in the doubles point this season.
• No. 56 Matias Soto collected another ranked victory by defeating No. 120 Eliot Spizzirri. Soto owns both of BU’s ranked dual wins in the 2021 spring. He is 8-0 overall this season with three wins against nationally ranked foes.

STAT OF THE MATCH
4 – BU collected four singles victories to win the match, bouncing back from dropping the doubles point.

TOP QUOTES
Interim head coach Michael Woodson
On the win…
“I’m really proud of the guys. We’re trying to develop a mindset of being ready to play anywhere, anytime, against anybody. Texas is an incredibly strong team, young but so talented and playing confidently. It was a great challenge for us, but to be able to come back out [after dropping the doubles point], get up a break on four courts, and settle down in singles was exactly what we needed.”

On the team’s resiliency…
“It became a dogfight on courts one, three and five. Credit to all three of them [Broom, Boitan and Lah] for not going away, for coming back and forcing third sets. It just speaks to the character of the team. They have great experience and really love each other.”

Graduate transfer Charlie Broom
On clinching the match…
“It was great fun. I’ve played in some big matches in the past but this was the best atmosphere I’ve ever felt. The guys off the court really brought us through some tough moments and tough situations. A lot of credit goes to the guys who didn’t play the match today because they were just as important as the guys on the court.”

WHAT’S NEXT
The Bears (6-0) will be back in Waco for a showdown with No. 3 TCU (3-0) on Sunday at 4 p.m. CT at Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center. Though conference opponents, the match will not count towards the Big 12 standings and is being played as a non-conference contest.

For the latest news on the Baylor men’s tennis team all season long, follow their official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis.

-BaylorBears.com-


__________________________________

Max Calderone | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (VB, MTEN, EQ)
Department of Athletics | Baylor University
O: 254-710-3073 | C: 254-265-1639

[signature_331665840]<http://baylorbears.com/>

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