No. 74 SMU Hosts Three Matches This Weekend
Mar 18 | Women's Tennis
| #74 SMU (9-3, 2-0 AAC) vs. #41 New Mexico (10-5, 1-0 MWC) | |
| Date & Start Time | Friday, March 20, at 3 p.m. CT |
| Location | SMU Tennis Complex |
| #74 SMU vs. East Carolina (11-5, 1-1 AAC) | |
| Date & Start Time | Saturday, March 21, at 10 a.m. CT |
| Location | SMU Tennis Complex |
| #74 SMU vs. Tulane (12-5, 1-1 AAC) | |
| Date & Start Time | Sunday, March 22, at 12 p.m. CT |
| Location | SMU Tennis Complex |
| Match Notes | Notes (.pdf) |
| /SMUMustangs|/SMUTennisW | |
| @SMUMustangs|@SMUTennis | |
DALLAS -- The 74th-ranked SMU women's tennis team hosts a trio of matches this weekend at the SMU Tennis Complex. The Mustangs open with a Friday afternoon match versus No. 41 New Mexico at 3 p.m. SMU ends the weekend with a pair of American Athletic Conference matches. The Mustangs play East Carolina on Saturday at 10 a.m., before taking on Tulane on Sunday at 12 p.m.
SMU Tennis Complex:
5669 N Central Expressway | SMU | Dallas, TX 75205
Parking: Match-day parking for the SMU Tennis Complex is available on campus in the Binkley and Moody Parking Centers. SMU athletics ask that visitors not park in the residential areas surrounding the facility or in Park Cities Plaza.
SMU (9-3, 2-0 The American) is coming off of two big road wins, defeating then-No. 64 Hawaii, 6-1, and Cal State Fullerton, 5-2, last weekend. The back-to-back victories snapped a three-match losing skid for the Mustangs.
Dasha Sharapova went a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles in Hawaii and earned her team-leading fourth match-clinching point in SMU's victory over Hawaii. For her efforts, Sharapova was named The American's Player of the Week. Sharapova's doubles teammate Vaszilisza Bulgakova also went 4-0 on the weekend, while the doubles team of Hristina Dishkova and Holly Verner went 2-0, improving their overall record to an impressive 20-4. In singles, Dishkova recorded a big win over 68th-ranked Cindy Nguyen of Hawaii.
SCOUTING No. 41 NEW MEXICO
New Mexico (10-5, 1-0 MWC) enters the weekend as the 41st-ranked team in the country following a 7-0 sweep over in-state rival New Mexico State last weekend. Prior to that win, the Lobos went 2-4 on a six-match road trip, earning wins over ranked opponents Denver and Utah.
Series History: SMU is 0-5 all-time versus New Mexico. The Lobos won the last meeting, 8-1, on March 5, 2000. The teams have never met in Dallas.
SCOUTING EAST CAROLINA
East Carolina (11-5, 1-1 The American) has faced three ranked opponents this season, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Notre Dame, losing all three matches. The Pirates will play at Elon (March 18) and at Houston (March 20) before making the trip to Dallas.
Series History: SMU defeated the Pirates, 4-0, in the only meeting between the two teams in the Conference USA Tournament on April 22, 2011.
SCOUTING TULANE
Tulane (12-5, 1-1 The American) opened American play last weekend, defeating Cincinnati, 6-1, and falling to Houston, 5-2. The Green Wave will play New Mexico on March 21 at the SMU Tennis Complex.
Series History: SMU is 4-2 all-time versus Tulane, but the Green Wave won the latest meeting, 4-3, on Feb. 1, 2013.
SMU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
Friday's contest versus 41st-ranked New Mexico will mark the sixth consecutive match the Mustangs have faced a ranked opponent. On Feb. 22, SMU defeated then-No. 62 USF, before falling to No. 12 Oklahoma State (Feb. 27) and No. 31 Oklahoma (Feb. 28) and No. 27 TCU (March 7). Last weekend, SMU defeated No. 64 Hawaii (March 11). SMU is 2-3 against ranked opponents this season.
IN THE ITA RANKINGS
SMU appears in the national ITA rankings for the second time this season, coming in at No. 74 in the latest rankings (March 17). The Mustangs were ranked 47th in the Feb. 24 ranking. Junior Vaszilisza Bulgakova is the only Mustang to have appeared in the ITA national singles rankings. Bulgakova reached a ranking of 108 last year. Regionally, Hristina Dishkova and Holly Verner are ranked sixth in doubles in the ITA Texas region.
UP NEXT - UAB
Following this weekend's homestand, SMU plays UAB on Friday, March 27 at 3 p.m. at the SMU Tennis Complex.
