Texas hopes to top Tech, Baylor this weekend

Alex Endress

April 1, 2011

The Texas women’s tennis team, ranked No. 23 in the country, travels to Lubbock and Waco this weekend to take on No. 43 Texas Tech and the ninth-ranked Baylor Bears.

The first match, against Tech, is this Friday at noon. Texas won the last meeting between these teams by a score of 7-0 in March 2010. However, the Red Raiders have vastly improved their level of play since the teams’ last competition, according to Texas head coach Patty Fendick-McCain.

“This is the strongest Texas Tech team we’ve seen since I’ve been here at Texas,” Fendick-McCain said. “Texas Tech has quite a bit of depth, and it has talented players.”

The weekend’s next match, against Baylor, is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. The Longhorns face a sharp challenge against the Bears. A key matchup for this event is the battle between the nation’s No. 21 player, Texas sophomore Aeriel Ellis and No. 14 Sona Novakova of Baylor.

Texas will be looking for redemption this weekend, as Baylor beat the Longhorns 4-0 in their last meeting, which was in the third round of the 2010 NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga.

“Baylor has an outstanding team,” Fendick-McCain said. “We’re looking forward to a good, clean battle there.”