No. 16 Baylor MT Falls in Nail Biter to No. 8 San Diego

[Hutton, Josie]

BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – Jan. 13, 2026

No. 16 Baylor MT Falls in Nail Biter to No. 8 San Diego
Bears can’t overcome in season-opener, 5-2
For more information contact: Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720, josie_hutton at baylor.edu<mailto:josie_hutton at baylor.edu>



SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Baylor men’s tennis opened the spring slate with a nail-biter on the road, pushing No. 8 San Diego to the brink before falling 5-2 on Tuesday at the Hogan Tennis Center in a season-opener for both teams.



The outcome remained in doubt until the final two singles courts, as several matches swung on third sets and tiebreakers in a tightly contested dual.



After dropping the doubles point, the 16th-ranked Bears responded with grit in singles play. Zsombor Velcz and Luc Koenig each delivered three-set victories to keep Baylor within striking distance. Velcz rallied from a first-set tiebreak loss at the No. 2 spot to win 6(3)-7, 6-4, 6-1, while Koenig battled through another back-and-forth affair to claim a 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-3 win at No. 5.



Several other singles courts came down to decisive moments, including three matches that went the distance, underscoring how narrow the margin was throughout the afternoon.



 “Really tough match. I think that’s exactly what we were looking for and exactly what we needed to start the season,” said head coach Michael Woodson. “Obviously, we’re competitors and we wanted to win, so it was a really tough loss. I think we had some good opportunities in doubles and singles with leads that we weren’t able to capitalize on. But I also thought we did a good job at turning some matches and to pick up some wins.



“San Diego is a top 10 team for a reason, and they’ve got some really good competitors up and down their lineup with one of the best players in the country at No. 1 which anchors them,” Woodson added. “For our first match of the year, I thought we competed really well for the most part. I thought our support for each other from the team on and off the court was really good. I like the level that we’re bringing in general. Certainly, we have some things we need to work on and excited to get the guys back to Waco to work on them and we’re looking forward to this home stretch we have coming up.”



BU returns home for a double-header on Saturday against Lamar at noon and 6 p.m. CT at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.



SINGLES RESULTS:

1. Oliver Tarvet (USD-M) def. #8 Devin Badenhorst (BUMT) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3

2. #108 Zsombor Velcz (BUMT) def. Vincent Marysko (USD-M) 6-7 (3-7), 6-4, 6-1

3. Stian Klaassen (USD-M) def. #17 Connor Van Schalkwyk (BUMT) 2-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)

4. Manvydas Balciunas (USD-M) def. #44 Alexandru Chirita (BUMT) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2

5. Luc Koenig (BUMT) def. Neo Niedner (USD-M) 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3

6. Adrien Berrut (USD-M) def. Louis Bowden (BUMT) 6-2, 4-6, 7-5



DOUBLES RESULTS:

1. #71 Adrien Berrut/Lambert Ruland (USD-M) def. Luc Koenig/Devin Badenhorst (BUMT) 6-2

2. Stian Klaassen/Manvydas Balciunas (USD-M) def. Alexandru Chirita/Zsombor Velcz (BUMT) 6-3

3. Connor Van Schalkwyk/Blake Anderson (BUMT) def. Oliver Tarvet/Vincent Marysko (USD-M) 6-3



Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (4,2,3,1,5,6)



 - BaylorBears<http://www.baylorbears/>.com -




Josie Hutton | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (MBB, FB, MTEN)

Department of Athletics | Baylor University

C: (254) 709-7720



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