PROVO, Utah - BYU men’s tennis will wrap up its four-match home stand this week, hosting No. 4 Texas on Thursday and No. 27 Baylor on Saturday as Big 12 play resumes.
Saturday will mark the final home contest of the season and senior day as the program celebrates the contributions of Jack Barnett and Kobe Tran.
Match Information
Texas
-Start Time: Thursday, March 28 at 5:30 p.m. MDT
-Venue: BYU Indoor Tennis Courts
-Live Stats
-Live Stream
-Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Baylor
-Start Time: Saturday, March 30 at 5 p.m. MDT
-Venue: BYU Outdoor Tennis Courts*
-Live Stats
-Live Stream
*Weather permitting - follow BYU Men’s Tennis on Instagram and X for updates.
Big 12 play opened last week, with BYU’s 10-match winning streak coming to an end after dropping a pair of top-25 matches against No. 25 Oklahoma State and No. 17 Oklahoma. Each dual match score was clinched at 4-2.
Wally Thayne headlined last week’s performances, securing a victory in straight sets over Oklahoma State’s No. 70 Isaac Becroft 6-2, 6-4. Redd Owen also racked up a win over the Cowboys’ Erik Schiessl 6-3, 6-3. With Thayne at No. 2 singles and Owen at No. 4, the two lead BYU in singles win percentage on the year (.80 percent) with 12-3 records apiece.
Zach Fuchs defeated Oklahoma’s Jordan Hasson 7-5, 6-1 after a dominant second set as the junior improved to 10-4 on the year at No. 3 singles. Tygen Goldammer also showed plenty of grit at the No. 5 slot against the Sooners, overcoming a 1-6 set one loss to win 6-0, 7-5 to close out the comeback. The freshman is now 9-5 this season.
Jack Barnett went toe-to-toe with Oklahoma’s No. 1 singles and 20th-ranked Alex Martinez Saturday, falling 3-6, 6-2, 4-6 as a late break by Martinez proved decisive to the outcome. Martinez was named Big 12 Player of the Week Tuesday.
No. 4 Texas Notes
-2023-24 record: 14-3, 2-0 Big 12
-The Longhorns are fresh off a dominant 5-0 sweep over No. 2 TCU on Sunday, March 24. Including Sunday’s win, the program now boasts victories over the No. 1 (5-2 over Ohio State on March 10) and No. 2 ranked schools in the country during March alone.
-Texas has totaled nine ranked wins in the 2023-24 season, including five over teams in the ITA’s top 15.
-Head coach Bruce Berque is in his sixth season as head coach in Austin, with a 110-29 record. Berque led the Longhorns to their first team National Championship in 2019 and heads the only program in the nation to make the NCAA Final Fours in four of the past five years.
-Last season, Texas claimed the outright Big 12 regular season championship and finished with a No. 3 final ranking after advancing to the Final Four.
-Returners from last year include 2023 ITA National Player of the Year/Big 12 Player of the Year Eliot Spizzirri and ITA All-Americans Cleeve Harper and Micah Braswell in addition to Spizzirri. All five of the Longhorns’ 2023 All-Big 12 individual selections are returners.
-Nationally-Ranked Athletes: Singles - Eliot Spizzirri (No. 1), Micah Braswell (No. 2), Gilles-Arnaud Bailly (No. 41), Jonah Braswell (No. 67). Doubles - Eliot Spizzirri/Cleeve Harper (No. 8), Eliot Spizzirri/Siem Woldeab (No. 53).
Series Information
-Series record: BYU leads 3-2
-Last Meeting: Then No. 13 Texas defeated the No. 57 Cougars 5-2 in Provo on March 12, 2007.
No. 27 Baylor Notes
-2023-24 record: 16-7, 0-2 Big 12
-The Bears’ signature win this season is a 4-0 triumph over No. 5 USC in Waco on February 12. Baylor also defeated No. 33 VCU 4-2 on March 7.
-Omaha is the only opponent BYU and Baylor have shared this year as both won 7-0.
-The Bears are led by Michael Woodson, who has amassed a 96-32 record since taking over as interim coach in 2020. In 2021, Woodson guided Baylor to a runner-up finish at the NCAA National Championship after claiming a share of the Big 12 regular season title and the Big 12 Tournament championship.
-Baylor made an NCAA Tournament appearance last season, falling to Florida State in the opening round.
-Tadeas Paroulek and Zsombor Velcz return after earning All-Big 12 First Team Doubles honors in 2023. Paroulek was also awarded a spot on the conference’s first team singles list with Velcz securing a second team singles selection.
-Nationally-Ranked Athletes: Singles - Tadeas Paroulek (No. 50), Zsombor Velcz (No. 74), Devin Badenhorst (No. 88). Doubles - Tadeas Paroulek/Zsombor Velcz (No. 40).
Series Information
-Series record: Baylor leads 1-0
-Last Meeting: Then No. 3 Baylor won 4-0 at the BNP Paribas Collegiate Challenge in Indian Wells, California on March 20, 2015.