University of Missouri
Baylor
Mizzou Falls To No. 1 Baylor, Ends Season
4/24/2009 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
April 24, 2009
Columbia, Mo. – The Tigers (9-12, 4-7 Big 12) closed out their 2009 spring season in Norman, Okla., this morning as they faced the Baylor Bears (22-4, 11-0 Big 12) in the second round of the Big 12 Championships and were defeated, 4-0. Play began at 9:00 a.m. at the Headington Family Tennis Center. Baylor was seeded No. 1 in the tournament, Missouri was seeded No. 8.
The Bears picked up the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 before snagging the top three singles matches to earn their 22nd win of the season and ended Missouri's post-season run.
“I think in just a couple spots we played, maybe, a little intimidated,” said coach Blake Starkey. “Baylor is not just one of the premier teams in the conference; they are literally one of the better teams in the nation. When it was over, I told (Baylor head coach) Joey (Scrivano) to go win the whole thing if you can.”
The Tigers have enjoyed their best season in years finishing eighth in the Big 12, the highest post-season standing they've seen since 2005. The ladies finished 4-7 in the Big 12, improving two wins from last year. During its spring campaign Missouri saw four tough 4-3 losses against conference competition meaning just four points separated them from an 8-3 season and a fourth place finish in the final Big 12 standings.
Mizzou also consistently remained in the top 75 national rankings almost all season long reaching as high as No. 58. The Tiger's top duo of Mallory Weber and Jamie Mera highlighted their spring season with a win over Texas' No. 1 pair, then ranked 25th, Marja Milic and Vanja Corovic. Sofia Ayala and Danielle Day also proved they were a force to be reckoned with in the Big 12 as they racked up nine victories against conference opponents, suffering just three losses.
Ayala also sported a team-best 7-2 record in singles against the Big 12 while she played the No. 6 spot for Missouri the majority of the season.
“I'm very proud of my team. We've put ourselves in position to win all year long,” said Starkey. “We've certainly have had some highlights. We just got outplayed today by a strong team, period."
Final Team Score: Baylor 4, Missouri 0
Complete Doubles Results
No. 1 Broosova/Borsanyi (BU) def. Mera/Weber (MIZ) 8-1
No. 2 Ormond/Stanivuk (BU) def. Giuggioli/Ritchie (MIZ) 8-4
No. 3 Day/Ayala (MIZ) vs. Secerbegovic/Siwosz (BU) DNF
Complete Singles Results
1. Taylor Ormond (BU) def. Jessica Giuggioli (MIZ) 6-2, 6-1
2. Lenka Broosova (BU) def. Jamie Mera (MIZ) 6-0, 6-1
3. Csilla Borsanyi (BU) def. Mallory Weber (MIZ) 6-1, 6-1
4. Kaitlyn Ritchie (MIZ) vs. Jelena Stanivuk (BU) 7-6, DNF
5. Danielle Day (MIZ) vs. Nina Secerbegovic (BU) 5-7, DNF
6. Sofia Ayala (MIZ) vs. Kasia Siwosz (BU) 1-6, DNF
Order of Finish
Singles: 2, 3, 1
Doubles: 1, 2
Photos courtesy of Scott Weaver.
Players Mentioned
