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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 13.8px;"><b>BAYLOR ATHLETICS COMMUNICATIONS – March 2, 2026</b></span></h1>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt; color: black;"><b>No. 8 Baylor MT Comes Away with 4-3 Win at Rice</b></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; color: black; background-color: white;"><b><i>Bears debut the outdoor season with a clutch win in Houston</i></b></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>For more information contact:
</b>Josie Hutton; 254-709-7720, </span><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; color: rgb(150, 96, 125);"><u><a href="mailto:josie_hutton@baylor.edu" data-outlook-id="3cb3d63f-79c2-4483-b7fb-94e9fcf38691" style="color: rgb(150, 96, 125); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;">josie_hutton@baylor.edu</a></u></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>HOUSTON, Texas –</b> No. 8 Baylor men’s tennis took on the Rice Owls on Monday afternoon at the George R. Brown Tennis Center and came away with a clutch 4-3 win in its first
outdoors match of the season. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Baylor (8-5) took the doubles point early, but Rice (4-6) chipped away at the lead, winning three singles courts. The Bears didn’t back down and responded evenly with the match
tied at three-all. The match came down to Court Three with Connor Van Schalkwyk, who earned his fifth-straight singles win, 7-5, 6-3. The match on Monday afternoon went quickly, as all matches concluded in straight sets. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>THE RUNDOWN</b></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Starting in doubles, Baylor took the lead by winning swiftly on Court Two with Van Schalkwyk and Luc Koenig (6-2). Followed quickly on Court Three, Devin Badenhorst and Blake
Anderson snagged a 6-2 win to get the Bears on the board. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Moving on to singles, the Bears extended their lead with Koenig on Court Five, 6-2, 6-4. Rice then went on to win back-to-back matches on Court Six and Court One to bring the
match tied 2-2. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">No. 39 Zsombor Velcz got BU back in the lead with a clutch 6-3, 7-5, but nearly minutes later the Owls took Court Four. It came down Court Three with Van Schalkwyk, who didn’t
fall under the pressure and took a dominant second set, 7-5, 6-3, to snap the Bears three-match losing streak and earn the victory for Baylor. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>WHAT’S NEXT</b></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Baylor returns home for its one of two home matches in the month of March and its Go Gold match, going against the top-ranked No. 1 Ohio State on Thursday, March 5th at 6 p.m.
CT at the Hurd Tennis Center. </span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><b>RESULTS</b></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i>Doubles</i></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1. P. Kuzmenok/S. Navarro (RICE) vs A. Chirita/Z. Velcz (BU) 4-3 uf</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">2. C. Van Schalkwyk/L. Koenig (BU) def. Y. Sarouk/K. Kapasi (RICE) 6-1</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">3. D. Badenhorst/B. Anderson (BU) def. T. Czaplinksi/R. Botran (RICE) 6-2</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Order of Finish: 2, 3</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i>Singles</i></span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">1. P. Kuzmenok (RICE) def. #13 D. Badenhorst (BU) 6-2, 6-4</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">2. #39 Z. Velcz (BU) def. R. Botran (RICE) 6-3, 7-5</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">3. #27 C. Van Schalkwyk (BU) def. S. Navarro (RICE) 7-5, 6-3</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">4. K. Kapasi (RICE) def. #73 A. Chirita (BU) 6-4, 6-4</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">5 L. Koenig (BU) def. Y. Sarouk (RICE) 6-2, 6-4</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">6. G. Porras (RICE) def. C. Baierl (BU) 6-2, 6-2</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Order of Finish: 5, 6, 1, 2, 4, 3</span></p>
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<span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><i> - BaylorBears</i></span><span style="font-family: Aptos, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; color: black;"><i><u>.com</u> -</i></span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: rgb(15, 92, 26);"><b>Josie Hutton</b></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black;"> | Associate Director of Athletics Communications (MBB, FB, MTEN) </span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black;">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span></p>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black;">C: (254) 709-7720</span></p>
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