March 12, 2008
DALLAS (SMU)--The No. 70 SMU women's tennis team plays host to No. 47 Louisville and No. 62 Tulsa this weekend at the Garland Tennis Center in Dallas (maps, directions).
Scouting the Mustangs: The Mustangs have had some time off, since falling to UNLV on March 2. SMU has lost their last three contests, but will look to rebound against No. 47 Louisville. The Mustangs will be joined this weekend by Sarah Acosta, who played for the team last year as well.
Last Time Out: The Mustangs fell to then-No. 33 UNLV on March 2 in Las Vegas. SMU played hard and nearly eked out a win, but the Lady Rebels held on for the 4-3 victory. The Ponies won the doubles point, starting out ahead of UNLV, but Kseniia Tokarieva was forced to retire in the second set of her match, starting out singles play on a sour note. Natalia Bubien faced the 23rd-ranked singles player in the nation and fought hard, but dropped her match at No. 1. Kristen Reid and Pavi Francis each picked up wins in their respective matches, tying the match at three all, after SMU defaulted at No. 6. In the decisive match, Nicole Briceno dropped the first set 7-5, but came back to win the second 6-4. In the final set, her opponent rallied back to take the point.
Scouting the Cardinals: The No. 47 Louisville Cardinals enter this weekend with their highest ranking in school history. The Cards are 8-4 on the season, with losses to Ohio State, Mississippi, Kentucky and Notre Dame. Louisville has won its last two straight matches, with strong doubles play and a very good middle lineup in singles. Lindsey Jones, Bianca Gorbea and Natalia Baez have all been strong for the Cards at the second, third and fourth slots, respectively.
Scouting the Golden Hurricane: The No. 62 Golden Hurricane has a 12-3 record with losses to Wichita State, Arkansas and LSU. Tulsa is led by freshman dynamo Alexandra Kichoutkin, who is now 12-2 on the season. Kichoutkin is a three-time Conference USA Player of the Week selection. In doubles, Kichoutkin pairs with Jie Zeng at No. 1 and has a 10-3 record.
Results: Match recaps and box scores will be available on SMUMustangs.com following each match.
On the Horizon: The Mustangs will next face No. 23 Notre Dame on March 24. For the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.
