A speed bump in doubles didn’t slow Baylor’s girls tennis team down for long Wednesday against Girls Preparatory School.
The Lady Red Raiders picked up the pace after a loss at No. 1 doubles and cruised through singles, winning all six matches in straight sets. Despite the setback, Baylor also took the doubles point to secure a 7-0 win over visiting GPS.
“The girls came out and played solid from the start,” Baylor coach Dustin Kane said. “We’ve been working on some things since the last match, and they really showed their progress today. Our goal is to leave every match with something to work on and get stronger, and this group has gotten progressively better.”
Ashton Jenne and Presley Thomas won 8-2 at No. 2 doubles and Karolina Hakala and Lilly Mooney won 8-1 in the No. 3 spot to quickly take the doubles point. With the other matches wrapped up, No. 1 doubles had a small gallery looking on as the two teams battled back and forth.
Baylor’s Drew Hawkins and Lauren Carelli snagged a 3-2 lead on a break, but Jenna Thorstenson and Maddox Bandy won the next two for the Bruisers. The score was then knotted up 4-4 and 5-5 before the GPS tandem rattled off three straight games for the 8-5 win.
“They played really aggressively at the net,” GPS coach Sue Bartlett said. “They also kept it away from Lauren at the net. She’s a really good player up there. Doubles isn’t super complicated, but you have to make it work. Execution is tough, and they did a really good job of it.”
Shortly after doubles wrapped up, ominous clouds forced the singles matches to be played inside ahead of the looming downpour. Once the players settled indoors, Baylor was quick to strike.
The Lady Red Raiders built early leads in all of their matches and won 11 of the 12 sets by at least two games. The exception was the second set at No. 1, with Bandy coming back from 3-0 and 5-2 deficits to knot it at 5-5 before ultimately falling 7-5. Hawkins won the first set 6-2.
“Baylor played well out of the gate, which made it tough to slow the train,” Bartlett said. “You never know what can happen on any given day, and they got off to a fast start. Maddox played a great match, though. She played smart and had a lot of opportunities that she’ll be dreaming about tonight. A point here or a point there can really change things.”
Hakala and Thomas won 6-2, 6-1 and 6-1, 6-2 in the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively. Carelli won 6-3, 6-1 at No. 4, and Ashton Jenne won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 5. Lilly Mooney wrapped it up for Baylor with a 6-3, 6-3 win.