WACO, Texas - Baylor women's tennis head coach Joey Scrivano announced Wednesday the signing of incoming freshman Aya Bara to his 2010-11 recruiting class.
Bara, a native of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, ranked among the best players in her home country. In 2010 , Bara earned a U18 Junior Ontario ranking as high as 12th, while being ranked 22nd among all U18 juniors in Canada. She also earned a No. 19 Women's Open ranking in Canada.
"We are excited to introduce Aya to the Baylor Nation," Scrivano said. "It was incredible to find a student-athlete of her ability still available this late in the summer." I believe she is a diamond in the rough and can contribute a lot to the program as she develops and gains experience. Aya is an extremely gifted young lady on and off the court who fits our programs high standards of academic and athletic achievement."
Bara was a multiple-time winner in three-star events in Ontario, while also enjoying success at the four- and five-star levels. She was a doubles finalist at the five-star U14 Provincials in 2006, then made the finals at the four-star U18 OTA Masters in 2008 and the Monterrey ITF G5 doubles in 2009.
Bara will join three previous signees, including Georgia State transfer Diana Nakic, Armstrong Atlantic State transfer Sona Novakova and fellow incoming freshman Cristina Danaila.
ATHENS, Ga. - Baylor's final participants in the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships each took quarterfinal losses to second-seeded opponents on Saturday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
Sophomore Nina Secerbegovic, who earned All-America honors for the first time in her career, had her 15-match win streak come an end, while the two-time All-America pair of Lenka Broosova and Csilla Borsanyi also were eliminated from contention.
"Overall I'm very proud of the way we competed here in Athens," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "We fell short of our ultimate goal, but I'm confident we'll achieve it in the near future. The bottom line is that we made another step forward. Now the key is to learn from it and continue to mature as a team."
In singles, the 20th-ranked Secerbegovic got out of the gates well, breaking second-seeded Jana Juricova twice in the first set, while holding serve each time for a 6-2 set win. Juricova came out strong after that, going after Secerbegovic's service games on her way to 6-2, 6-2 wins in each of the next two sets to reach the NCAA Semifinal.
Secerbegovic finishes the season as the BU leader in wins with a 43-5 record. Her total of 43 wins marks the third highest in Baylor history, while her .896 winning percentage is second all-time for a single season. Secerbegovic also had two win streaks of at least 15 matches, including an 18-0 stretch to open the dual-match season.
"This was a great learning experience for Nina," Scrivano said. "She's definitely a player to watch and very capable of building on her success this season. She has an extremely bright future."
In doubles, the 11th-ranked duo of Broosova and Borsanyi had a chance to avenge a loss from one week ago in dual-match play to Stanford's second-seeded pair of Hilary Barte and Lindsay Burdette. The Cardinal pair again got the best of the Lady Bears with a 6-4, 6-4 win to advance to the semifinal round.
The Baylor pair will finish the season with a team-high in wins with a 28-6 record. The 28 wins ranks them in a tie for sixth all-time on the single-season wins list, while their .824 winning percentage is the best ever at Baylor in a single season.
"Lenka and Csilla made another impressive run in the doubles event," Scrivano said. "They have a lot to be proud of and their accomplishments speak for themselves. We're so thankful for all they have done for Baylor University and our tennis program."
For the season, two singles players and one doubles tandem earned All-America honors. Broosova, who is being honored for the third straight year, and Secerbegovic became the ninth and 10th singles All-Americans under head coach Joey Scrivano. Broosova and partner Borsanyi were the third pair under Scrivano, and first two-time All-America doubles honorees in program history.
ATHENS, Ga. - Lenka Broosova and Nina Secerbegovic earned a spot in the NCAA Singles Round of 16, while Broosova teamed with Csilla Borsanyi to earn the same right in the NCAA Doubles Championships on Thursday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
In singles play, Broosova was able to build on the momentum she created in her final two sets yesterday in the Round of 64. The fifth-ranked senior advanced into the Round of 16 with a win over Arkansas' 29th-ranked Anouk Tigu. Broosova took control early in the match with a 6-3 first set, then thoroughly dominated the second set without dropping a game, 6-0.
"Lenka just played a great match," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "She was an all-star from start to finish, and played a really clean match."
Broosova will take on Miami's 40th-ranked Bianca Eichkorn in her next match with a chance to make the NCAA Quarterfinal on Friday for the second time in her career. Eichkorn reach the Round of 16 with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Arizona State's Micaela Hein in her Round of 32 match at 10 a.m.
Eichkorn possesses a fairly deep history of success against BU and Broosova. Last season, Eichkorn beat Broosova in three sets in a 4-2 dual-match win for Baylor, and then beat BU's Taylor Ormond in the Round of 64 in last season's NCAA Singles Championships. This season, Eichkorn knocked off BU's Csilla Borsanyi in dual-match action, despite Baylor taking a 4-3 win.
Also in singles, Secerbegovic got a win will play in the Round of 16 in her first NCAA individual appearance, officially earning her the first All-America accolade of her career. The sophomore took down 37th-ranked Danielle Lao of USC in three sets. Secerbegovic got off to a hot start with a 6-1 first set win, but Lao battled back to take the second set 6-3. In the third, Secerbegovic again found her stroke with a 6-3 win.
"I am really excited for Nina that she is an an All-American," Scrivano said. "She is very deserving of it and has worked so hard this season to mature and improve every day. It's great to see her get rewarded."
Secerbegovic, who won her 14th consecutive match on Thursday, will face an equally streaking player in Duke's 47th-ranked Ellah Nze on Friday at 12:30 p.m. Nze earned her spot in the Round of 16 with a win over Boise State's Pichittra Thongdach 6-4, 7-6 (4). Secerbegovic will be looking to avenge a 4-3 dual-match loss to Duke last season, where Nze recorded a point with a 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 win over Borsanyi.
On the doubles court, Broosova and Borsanyi got into a battle with Cal Poly's 48th-ranked duo Brittany Blalock and Suzie Matzenauer. The 11th-ranked Baylor pair cruised to a 6-3 first-set win, but quickly found themselves down 3-1 in the second set. BU rallied to tie the set at 6-6, but Cal Poly won the tie-break easily 7-2. In the third set, it was looking like the end of the doubles season for the pair, but down 5-2, they regained their strokes and won five games in a row for a 7-5 win.
"In doubles, we were up and down, really let that second set slip away," Scrivano said. "Then in the third, down 5-2, they calmed down and just hit the shots to get the win."
The Baylor duo will take on Clemson's seventh-ranked tandem of Josipa Bek and Ina Hadziselimovic, who is seeded in the 5-8 group in the tournament, on Friday at 3 p.m. The Tigers defeated Marshall's Michaela Kissell and Dominica Zaprazna by a score of 7-6, 6-4 in their first-round match.
Both singles matches, as well as the doubles match, will take place on Friday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on the campus of the University of Georgia. Live scoring can be found on the Championship Central page at www.NCAA.com.
ATHENS, Ga. - Senior Lenka Broosova and sophomore Nina Secerbegovic each advanced to the Round of 32 with an opening-round victory at the NCAA Singles Championships on Wednesday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
Secerbegovic, making her first appearance in the NCAA individuals, played like a veteran taking down UCLA's sixth-seeded Yasmin Schnack in straight sets. The Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina, native got the only break-point she would need in the first set to win 6-4, then took over midway through the second set. On serve, but down 3-2, Secerbegovic held serve, then came back from down 40-15 to earn a break-point and a 4-3 lead. She went on to dominate the next two games and win the set 6-3.
"I am really proud of the way Nina played today," head coach Joey Scrivano said. "She is a great player, and has really improved a lot over the course of the season. Any time you can beat one of the top seeds, you know you are an elite player."
Secerbegovic, who has now won 13 consecutive matches and moves to 41-4 in singles play on the season, will take on USC's Danielle Lao, who is ranked 37th with a record of 23-11, on Thursday. Lao defeated Akron's Zaruhi Harutyunyan 6-0, 6-3 in her first round match.
Broosova, on the other hand, was matched up against Florida State's 22nd-ranked Lauren McCreless. The FSU senior came out red-hot in the first set on her way to a 6-3 win, but Broosova buckled down the rest of the way. The Banska Bystrica, Slovakia, native found her groove in the second set with a 6-1 win, then put McCreless away in the third set 6-3.
"Lenka ran into a really hot opponent, who was serving incredibly well," Scrivano said. "But, she used her experience and made some great adjustments. She really found her stride, and I like the way she played those last two sets."
Broosova, who bounced back nicely after a loss to fourth-ranked Hilary Barte in the team championships, moved her singles record to 33-7. She will take on Arkansas Anouk Tigu, who is ranked 29th with record of 24-10, on Thursday. Tigu defeated Duke's Reka Zsilinszka 7-5, 6-2 in her first round match.
Broosova will also team up with doubles partner Csilla Borsanyi for the opening round of the NCAA Doubles Championships on Thursday. The 11th-ranked pair will face Cal Poly's Brittany Blalock and Suzie Matzenauer, who are ranked 48th and enter with a record of 17-3 in dual matches.
ATHENS, Ga. - Baylor women's tennis player Nina Secerbegovic was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team for her performance in the NCAA Team Championships, as announced by NCAA officials at the conclusion of the women's final.
The sophomore from Tuzla, Bosnia & Herzegovina, was spectacular at No. 2 doubles for the top-seeded Lady Bears, not losing single set in her four NCAA tournament matches. She opened the NCAAs at home with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Northwestern State's Adna Curukovic, then defeated Tulsa's Anastasia Erofeeva 6-2, 6-0 to help Baylor earn at spot in the Round of 16 in Athens.
In the round of 16, the 20th-ranked Secerbegovic did her part in the win over the University of Texas, taking down 63rd-ranked Krista Damico 6-3, 6-2 to help her team advance. In the NCAA Quarterfinal, she beat Stanford's 83rd-ranked Lindsay Burdette 6-3, 7-5 to earn a point. Baylor lost 4-2 in the match with the Cardinal, who went on to win the NCAA championship over Florida 4-3 on Tuesday afternoon.
She became the third Baylor player in program history to receive the recognition. Her teammates Lenka Broosova and Jelena Stanivuk are the other two. Broosova earned the award each of the last two seasons (2008-09), while Stanivuk was named all-tournament for her performance in 2008.
Secerbegovic's season will continue individually as she begins play on Wednesday in the NCAA Singles Championships taking on UCLA's sixth-seeded Yasmin Schnack at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, May 26. Secerbegovic brings a 40-4 singles record into the match, including a 14-3 mark against ranked opponents. Live results can be found on the Championship Central page at www.NCAA.com.
