Both Baylor tennis teams back in NCAA tourney, with men hosting in Waco

For nearly 30 years now, it’s become a theme that never gets old for Baylor’s Men’s and Women’s Tennis programs: a selection to the NCAA Tournament.

Once again this year, both teams are back in the NCAAs — the 28th straight appearance for the Baylor men, and 27th overall for the women — nearly three decades of excellence.

On the men’s side, head coach Michael Woodson’s squad earned a No. 10 national seed, which comes with the right to begin the postseason journey at home. The Bears have gone 22-9 against a demanding schedule that includes 17 of the nation’s top-50 teams. Led by three players ranked in the top 50 nationally, including No. 8 Devin Badenhorst, Baylor will begin its postseason run on Friday at the Hurd Tennis Center against Tulsa, who the Bears defeated 4-0 in January.

Head coach Joey Scrivano and the Baylor women will begin their sixth consecutive postseason run in College Station, where they’ll face the Wisconsin Badgers in the first round. The Bears are led by two top-100 performers (No. 72 Na Dong and No. 89 Zuzanna Kubacha) and head into the tournament with a 13-9 record, including an 8-5 mark in Big 12 play.

The women play at 10 a.m. Saturday against Wisconsin, with the winner advancing to face the winner of Texas A&M-Quinnipiac. The men begin play against Tulsa at the Hurd Tennis Center Friday night at 6 p.m., with the winner advancing to face the winner of Auburn-Santa Clara (the other two teams coming to Waco) on Saturday.

Sic ’em, Baylor Tennis!