WACO, Texas – In a gritty Big 12 Championship quarterfinal battle, the Wildcats came up short, falling 3-4 to No. 5 seed Baylor Friday afternoon at the Hurd Tennis Center.

Baylor struck first in doubles, claiming the opening point with wins on courts one and three. Court two was unfinished, with Arizona's No. 85 duo Midori Castillo-Meza and Martyna Ostrzygalo leading 5-3.

The Bears extended their lead to 2-0 as Na Dong picked up a straight-set win on court four. But Arizona responded with heart. Sophomore Tanvi Narendran delivered a composed 6-4, 6-4 win over Kennedy Gibbs (BU) on court five, followed closely by Martyna Ostrzygalo, who claimed a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Zuzanna Kubacha (BU) on court three to tie the match at 2-2. Zoya Chulak battled fiercely on court six, pushing her match to a deciding set before ultimately falling 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, as Baylor regained the lead. No. 64 Josie Usereau then delivered a clutch win on court one, bouncing back from a second-set loss to take the third and bring Arizona level again at 3-3. Senior No. 95 Midori Castillo-Meza started strong, taking the first set 6-3, but was edged out in a hard-fought three-set match that clinched the win for Baylor.

Arizona will now wait for the NCAA Championship selection on Sunday, April 28. The national tournament is set for May 2nd– May 4th at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.

Results
Doubles (Order of finish: 3, 1)
1. #31 Kostenko/Tiglea (BU) def. #44 Tuhten/Usereau (ARIZ) 6-2
2. Dong/Yu (BU) vs. #85 Castillo-Meza/Ostrzygalo (ARIZ) 3-5, unfinished
3. Berry/Kubacha (BU) def. Nevenhoven/Chulak (ARIZ) 6-0

Singles (Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 6, 2)
1. #64 Josie Usereau (ARIZ) def. Liubov Kostenko (BU) 7-5, 1-6, 6-2
2. Cristina Tiglea (BU) def. #95 Midori Castillo-Meza (ARIZ) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
3. Martyna Ostrzygalo (ARIZ) def. Zuzanna Kubacha (BU) 6-4, 6-3
4. Na Dong (BU) def. Danielle Tuhten (ARIZ) 6-4, 6-2
5. Tanvi Narendran (ARIZ) def. Kennedy Gibbs (BU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Nanaka Sato (BU) def. Zoya Chulak (ARIZ) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3