IRVING, Texas — Baylor men’s tennis and Texas women’s tennis were each voted to take the conference crown by league coaches on the Big 12 Tennis Preseason Poll. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.
The Bears, the reigning conference champion and national runners-up, received three first place votes and a total of 23 votes. TCU followed closely with 21 points and two first place votes. Texas picked up 19 points and one first place vote while Oklahoma (12), Texas Tech (10) and Oklahoma State (5) rounded out the ledger.
Baylor was voted No. 2 on the ITA Preseason Poll and returns five players to its 2022 squad, including three All-Americans in Adrian Boitan, Matias Soto and Sven Lah. The Bears are led by the ITA Texas Region Coach of the Year Michael Woodson and Assistant Coach of the Year Izak Van der Merwe.
The reigning national champion Texas women’s tennis team was the unanimous favorite among the other head coaches, receiving all nine first place votes with 81 points. Baylor ranked No. 2 with 68 points and one first place vote while Oklahoma projects at No. 3 with 66 points. Oklahoma State (60), Iowa State (48), Texas Tech (39), Kansas (35), TCU (29), K-State (24) and West Virginia (9) completed the poll.
Voted No. 1 on the national preseason poll as well, the Longhorns are coming off a 31-1 run in 2021, a conference and national title. They return six players, including ITA All-Americans Peyton Stearns and Kylie Collins. Texas is led by the ITA Division I Women’s National Coach of the Year Howard Joffe and Assistant Coach of the Year Taylor Fogleman.
2022 Big 12 Men’s Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Baylor (3) 23
2. TCU (2) 21
3. Texas (1) 19
4. Oklahoma 12
5. Texas Tech 10
6. Oklahoma State 5
2022 Big 12 Women’s Tennis Preseason Poll
1. Texas (9) 81
2. Baylor (1) 68
3. Oklahoma 66
4. Oklahoma State 60
5. Iowa State 48
6. Texas Tech 39
7. Kansas 35
8. TCU 29
9. K-State 24
10. West Virginia 9