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<h1 align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;text-decoration:none">BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 16, 2023<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black">Baylor MT Readies for Weekend Trio in Waco</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="color:black">Bears welcome Illinois, Wake Forest and Prairie View A&M<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Colin Pirtle; 940-564-0351, </span><a href="mailto:colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu</span></a><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">WACO, Texas –
</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Baylor men’s tennis opens the Hurd Tennis Center again for the final time before conference play begins next month to No. 19 Illinois, No. 16 Wake Forest and Prairie View A&M on Friday
and Sunday.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">The Bears (8-9) face Illinois Friday night at 6 p.m. for the mental health awareness match before Sunday’s doubleheader with Wake Forest at 1 p.m. for Hounds at the Hurd
and PVAMU at 6 p.m.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">BU holds the 9-6 series lead over the Fighting Illini, who come to Waco for its first match since ITA Kickoff Weekend. Illinois already has ranked wins over No. 7 Georgia
and No. 14 Wake Forest and will play Abilene Christian Friday morning at the Hawkins Indoor Tennis Center.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Illinois’ Karlis Ozolins and Alex Petrov are ranked 42<sup>nd</sup> and 96<sup>th</sup> in singles, respectively, and Mathis Debru and Oliver Okonkwo are 52<sup>nd</sup>
in doubles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Wake Forest and Baylor have faced off five times in history, and the Bears hold a one-match advantage over the Demon Deacons. They enter Sunday afternoon’s match at 17-6
overall and 5-4 over ITA ranked teams.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Melios Efsatathiou (21), Jurabek Karimov (117) and Filippo Moroni (122) are all ranked in singles for the Wake Forest squad, while Maroni and Juan Lopez de Azcona are 30<sup>th</sup>
in doubles play. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">For Sunday’s nightcap, PVAMU enters at 1-12 this season, with their lone win coming from a 4-0 sweep of Mississippi Valley. BU has taken all 11 decisions over the Panthers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Finn Bass leads the Bears in the ITA computerized rankings at No. 49, with Tadeas Paroulek just behind in 98th. In doubles, Bass and Juan Pablo Grassi Mazzuchi are back at
No. 10, while Paroulek and Zsombor Velcz are 24th.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Velcz is the lone Bear in double figure wins for singles play, sitting at 10-3. In doubles, Paroulek and Velcz lead the team at 12-1, with a perfect 5-0 record at No. 1.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">All matches will have results provided live
<a href="https://baylorbears.com/sports/mens-tennis">online</a> and Playsight will be streaming each court on
<a href="https://baylorbears.com/sports/2018/9/18/tennis-playsight">BaylorBears.com</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">For the latest news on the Baylor men's tennis team all year long, follow its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorMTennis.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText" align="center" style="text-align:center"><i><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">- BaylorBears<span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="color:black;text-decoration:none">.com</span></span><span style="color:black">
-<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><u><span style="color:red">UPDATED WEEKEND SCHEDULE FROM PREVIOUS RELEASE:<o:p></o:p></span></u></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Friday: vs. Illinois at 6 p.m.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Sunday: vs. Wake Forest at 1 p.m., vs. PVAMU at 6 p.m.<o:p></o:p></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color:black">_________________________________________</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color:#073D1E">Colin Pirtle</span></b><span style="color:#073D1E"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">| Associate Director of Athletics Communications (T&F, XC, MTEN) </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">C: 940-564-0351</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:3.0pt;color:black"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D957F6.68FAAB90" alt="signature_2230589939"></span></a><span style="font-size:13.5pt;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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