The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Baylor
No. 7 Men's Tennis edges No. 13 Baylor, 4-3
04.16.2008 | Men's Tennis
WACO, Texas -- No. 7 Texas (18-4, 4-1 Big 12) stayed alive in its hunt for the Big 12 Conference regular season title, and the Horns did it the hard way, as they dealt No. 13 Baylor (17-8, 3-1) a 4-3 defeat Wednesday evening on the Bears' home courts at the Baylor Tennis Center. Texas posts its first regular-season victory at Baylor since 1999 and its first win on the Bears' home courts since the 2006 Big 12 Championship final.
Texas opened the match by taking a hard-fought doubles point. The Horns began with a win at third doubles, as sophomores Dimitar Kutrovsky and Josh Zavala dealt Dominik Mueller and Jordan Rux an 8-6 defeat. UT clinched the doubles point at the first slot, where the sixth-ranked duo of freshmen Kellen Damico and Ed Corrie held off Baylor's David Galic and Denes Lukacs, 8-5. The Bears' Lars Poerschke and Attila Bucko outlasted UT senior Luis Diaz Barriga and junior Miguel Reyes Varela at second doubles, 9-8.
Baylor evened the score at one, as Lukacs posted a 6-3, 6-2 win at second singles over UT's Damico. Texas, however, pulled away for good when Corrie dealt Baylor's Galic a 6-1, 6-4 defeat at third singles to give UT a 2-1 lead. The Longhorns pushed their lead to 3-1 when Kutrovsky pushed past Baylor's eighth-ranked Poerschke, 6-4, 7-6, and Texas clinched the match at fourth singles when Diaz Barriga outlasted the Bears' 96th-ranked Mueller, 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. Baylor took the remaining matches at fifth and sixth singles in three sets.
Texas can clinch a share of the Big 12 Conference regular-season title on Saturday, April 19 when it hosts Texas A&M in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown. The Senior Day match gets underway at 4 p.m. Central at UT's Penick-Allison Tennis Center.
No. 7 Texas 4, No. 13 Baylor 3
Doubles - Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
1. No. 6 Corrie/Damico (UT) def. David Galic/Denes Lukacs (BU) - 8-5
2. Poerschke/Bucko (BU) def. No. 35 Diaz Barriga/Reyes Varela (UT) - 9-8
3. Kutrovsky/Zavala (UT) def. Mueller/Rux (BU) - 8-6
Singles - Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1, 4, 6, 5
1. No. 17 Dimitar Kutrovsky (UT) def. No. 8 Lars Poerschke (BU) - 6-4, 7-6
2. No. 12 Denes Lukacs (BU) def. No. 37 Kellen Damico (UT) - 6-3, 6-2
3. No. 45 Ed Corrie (UT) def. No. 113 David Galic (BU) - 6-1, 6-4
4. No. 115 Luis Diaz Barriga (UT) def. No. 96 Dominik Mueller (BU) - 6-4, 1-6, 6-2
5. Jordan Rux (BU) def. Miguel Reyes Varela (UT) - 3-6, 7-6, 7-5
6. Attila Bucko (BU) def. Milan Mihailovic (UT) - 1-6, 7-6, 6-2
POSTMATCH QUOTES
TEXAS COACH Michael Center
On the win over Baylor: This is a big win for us. We were disappointed after our match at Texas Tech, but our guys responded well. We played aggressively in doubles and jumped on them in the first sets in singles, which was something we talked about doing. We struggled a little bit to get that fourth point, but we got it in the end.
On sophomore Dimitar Kutrovsky: Dimi has been an incredible worker. He deserves everything he is getting out there. He is in great shape, works on his game, he is tough, and he is one of the fastest guys in college tennis. Nothing he's doing is surprising me because he has put in the work.
On senior Luis Diaz Barriga's win at fourth singles to clinch the match: It was a tough matchup for Luis. (Dominik) Mueller is one of the best players nationally at his position, at No. 4 singles. Luis just really played his game at the end and was more aggressive. He used his forehand and really attacked his opponent. He is tough to beat when he plays like that.
On freshman Ed Corrie's performance: Ed just continues to improve. He is another guy who works really hard and keeps improving. He went through a little lull as some freshmen do, but he has responded. He is playing some of his best tennis of the year when we really need it.
On Saturday's regular-season finale against Texas A&M: It's always a big match when we play Texas A&M. It's a great rivalry match for us, and the emotions are always high for both teams at that match. There's a point on the line in the State Farm Lone Star Showdown, and we have a chance to win a piece of the Big 12 regular-season title. Most importantly, we want to keep improving as a team and try to get momentum. We need a big crowd out there for the match. It's Senior Day for some of our guys who have done a lot for our program, and I would love to see people come out for the match. It's Texas and Texas A&M, and that's always exciting. We hope to see a lot of people out here on Saturday.
