Jan. 26, 2008

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (SMU)--The No. 57 SMU women's tennis team picked up its first victory in the spring season opener, beating Harvard, 4-3. The Mustangs were bolstered by strong singles performances, particularly at the bottom of the lineup.

The Crimson challenged SMU in doubles action, winning two of the three matches. Natalia Bubien and Pavi Francis fell at No. 1 doubles, 8-3. But Kseniia Tokarieva and Nicole Briceno battled to a decisive 8-2 win at No. 2, leaving the doubles point open for the No. 3 pair. Kristen Reid and Monica Neveklovska came out strong, but dropped the point to Harvard, 8-5.

Bubien started singles play off strongly for the Mustangs, taking the win over Beier Ko in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5. Francis and Neveklovska each dropped their matches, at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.

But the bottom half of SMU's lineup packed a punch. Reid fought off Elizabeth Brook at No. 4, winning her match, 7-6, 6-3. Tokarieva outlasted Harvard's Catriona Stewart (5-7, 6-3, 6-1) in the only match of the day to go three sets. Briceno blanked Vilsa Curto, winning in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0.

The Mustangs take the short ride to Providence Sunday to take on theirs second Ivy League opponent in Brown at 10:00 a.m. CT. For the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.

SMU 4, Harvard 3

Doubles
No. 1 Agnes Sibilski/Beier Ko def. Bubien/Francis, 8-3
No. 2 Tokarieva/Briceno def. Elizabeth Brook/Vilsa Curto, 8-2
No. 3 Stephanie Schnitter/Catriona Stewart def. Reid/Neveklovska, 8-5

Singles
No. 1 Natalia Bubien (SMU) def. Beier Ko (H), 6-2, 7-5
No. 2 Stephanie Schnitter (H) def. Pavi Francis (SMU), 6-1,7-6(2)
No. 3 Agnes Sibilski (H) def. Monica Neveklovska (SMU), 6-3,6-3
No. 4 Kristen Reid (SMU) def. Elizabeth Brook (H), 7-6,6-3
No. 5 Kseniia Tokarieva (SMU) def. Catriona Stewart (H), 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
No. 6 Nicole Briceno (SMU) def. Vilsa Curto (H), 6-0, 6-0