No. 62 Mustangs Host UAB, No. 75 Kansas This Weekend
Mar 25 | Women's Tennis
| #62 SMU (11-3, 3-1 AAC) vs. UAB (6-8, 2-1 CUSA) | |
| Date & Start Time | Friday, March 27, at 3 p.m. CT |
| Location | SMU Tennis Complex |
| #62 SMU vs.#75 Kansas (6-8, 2-2 Big 12) | |
| Date & Start Time | Saturday, March 28, at 12 p.m. CT |
| Location | SMU Tennis Complex |
| Live Scoring | SMUMustangs.com |
| Match Notes | Notes (.pdf) |
| /SMUMustangs|/SMUTennisW | |
| @SMUMustangs|@SMUTennis | |
DALLAS -- The SMU women's tennis team, ranked 62nd in the latest ITA rankings, hosts a pair of non-conference tilts this weekend. The Mustangs play UAB on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by a 12 p.m. match versus No. 75 Kansas on Saturday. Both matches will be played at the SMU Tennis Complex.
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 (11-3, 3-1 The American) went 2-1 last weekend, defeating both No. 41 New Mexico and East Carolina, 4-0, before falling to Tulane, 4-0. The loss to the Green Wave was the Mustangs' first in American Athletic Conference play this season.
Hristina Dishkova was named The American's Player of the Week after a record-breaking performance in doubles with teammate Holly Verner. The duo went 3-0 on the weekend, setting a new school record with 23 single season doubles victories. Dishkova and Verner are 23-4 overall this season, including a perfect 12-0 mark in dual match play. In singles, Dishkova defeated Emily Olivier in the No. 1 slot in the Mustangs' 4-0 victory over New Mexico.
A Mustang has now earned the award in back-to-back weeks, as Dasha Sharapova received the honor last week.
SCOUTING UAB
UAB (6-8, 2-1 Conference USA) has lost four straight matches and will play No. 66 North Texas on Wednesday before making the trip to Dallas. The Blazers are 0-4 versus ranked opponents this season and 0-7 on the road. TCU is the only common opponent between the teams this season. Both teams lost to TCU, 4-0.
Series History: SMU is 1-0 all-time versus UAB, winning the only previous meeting 8-1 in 1997.
SCOUTING KANSAS
Kansas (6-8, 2-2 Big 12) enters the weekend on a two-match winning streak, defeating Big 12 opponents Iowa State and West Virginia last weekend. SMU and Kansas have two common opponents this season: New Mexico and TCU. The Jayhawks lost both of those matches, while the Mustangs defeated New Mexico but fell to TCU. The Jayhawks play North Texas on Friday before making the trip to Dallas.
Series History: SMU is 0-1 all-time versus Kansas, with the Jayhawks winning the only previous meeting 5-2 in 2001.
DISHKOVA, VERNER DOMNINATING DOUBLES
Junior Hristina Dishkova and senior Holly Verner set a school record with 23 single season doubles wins last weekend. They entered the spring season as the sixth-ranked doubles pair in the Texas region, after reaching the semifinals of the ITA Texas Regional, narrowly missing a berth to the ITA Indoor Championships. They are 23-4 overall this year, including a perfect 12-0 mark in dual match play. Their 44 career wins are third all-time at SMU.
Team Doubles Victories (Career)
1. Lesniak / Malyarchikova 2008-11 53
2. Greyvenstyn / Zerdan 1994-97 49
3. Dishkova / Verner 2012-present 44
SMU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
SMU has faced six ranked opponents so far this season, posting a 3-3 record in those matches. The Mustangs have earned wins over then-No. 62 USF (5-2, Feb. 22), then-No. 64 Hawaii (6-1, March 11) and then-No. 41 New Mexico (4-0, March 20). All three of SMU's losses to ranked opponents have come to highly-ranked Big 12 foes. Saturday's match versus No. 75 Kansas will be the seventh ranked opponent the Mustangs have faced this season.
IN THE ITA RANKINGS
SMU appears in the national ITA rankings for the third time this season, coming in at No. 62 in the latest rankings (March 24). The ranking is a 12-spot improvement over last week's ranking (No. 74, 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 - UT ARLINGTON
Following this weekend's matches, SMU has a quick turnaround with a match versus UT Arlington on Tuesday, March 31 at 2 p.m. at the SMU Tennis Complex.
