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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 – Jan. 26, 2024<o:p></o:p></span></b></h1>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black">No. 24 Baylor MT Heads Back to Arizona for ITA Kickoff Weekend</span></b><b><span style="font-size:13.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;background:white">Bears look for 13<sup>th</sup>-straight ticket to ITA Team Indoor Championship
<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">For more information contact:
</span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">Colin Pirtle; 940-564-0351,
</span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="mailto:colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">colin_pirtle1@baylor.edu</span></a></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoBodyText"><b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">TUCSON, Ariz. –</span></b><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"> The 24<sup>th</sup>-ranked Baylor men’s tennis team heads west again to play
in the 2024 ITA Kickoff Weekend. No. 13 Arizona hosts BU, Tulane and Miami in the play-in tournament for the ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championships, held this year in New York City, N.Y.<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 enter the 2024 ITA Kickoff Weekend boasting a 24-0 record in the two-match annual tournament, advancing 12-straight times through to the ITA Team Indoor Championships.
Playing in the tournament away from home only three times since it began in 2009, the Bears have escaped hostile territory in College Station, Texas, (2017) and Ann Arbor, Mich. (2019, 2021).<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 was bumped up one spot in the ITA Coaches Poll to No. 24 after a win in Tempe at Arizona State, 4-3, last Friday. The Sun Devils took the doubles point, but Baylor rallied
to clinch the match in a 3-all tiebreaker. <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">Facing Tulane for the first time since 2015 and only the third time since 2000, the Bears lead the all-time series 4-2. Baylor took a 4-0 decision in the last matchup in
the first round of the 2015 ITA Kickoff Weekend. Saturday’s match will be the first of the season for the Green Wave.<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">Depending on Saturday’s results, the Bears will either face Miami or No. 13 Arizona on Sunday with a first-serve time to be determined on Saturday night.
<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">If the Bears face Miami, it would be only the fourth time in program history and the first since winning to advance to the 2022 ITA National Team Championship Tournament
in the ITA Kickoff Weekend final hosted in Waco the same year. Miami has only one win over BU, 5-2, in 2001.
<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">Adrien Burdet and Vladislav Melnic are the only Hurricanes in the ITA rankings, coming in at No. 40 in doubles after a 2-1 fall campaign, but have not played together in
the team’s 3-0 start with wins over Georgia Southern, Wisconsin and Mercer. <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">Coming back to Tucson after a canceled match against then-No. 16 Arizona on Sunday, the Bears would face No. 13 Arizona for the fourth time in as many seasons, with the Wildcats
taking the last faceoff in 2023, 5-2, in February. <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 2-0 Arizona team is led by No. 5 Colton Smith in the singles rankings with Jay Friend at No. 34 and Gustaf Strom at No. 63. The Wildcats have three doubles teams in the
top 60, with Smith and Friend 11<sup>th</sup>, Smith and Herman Hoeyeraal 22<sup>nd</sup> and Shasha Rozin and Strom at No. 36.<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 Bears, Marko Miladinović sits atop the team singles wins this spring at three, while Tadeas Paroulek and Zsombor Velcz lead in doubles at 2-0. Paroulek remains the
only Bear in the singles rankings at No. 32.<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-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/statbroadcast.php?gid=ariz"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Live stats</span></a></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">
and </span><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><a href="https://arizonawildcats.com/sports/2018/1/26/tennis-live-streaming.aspx"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">live video</span></a></span><span style="font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif">
are available for both matches online. <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"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">_________________________________________</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#073D1E;mso-ligatures:none">Colin Pirtle</span></b><span style="font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:#073D1E;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">|
Associate Director of Athletics Communications (T&F/XC, MTEN, FB) </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none">C: 940-564-0351</span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:3.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"> </span><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/" title="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;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@01DA503A.006B53D0" alt="signature_2230589939"></span></a><span style="font-size:13.5pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black;mso-ligatures:none"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
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