No. 61 SMU Plays At Memphis On Friday
Apr 2 | Women's Tennis
| #61 SMU (14-4, 3-1 AAC) at Memphis (7-12, 2-2 AAC) | |
| Date & Start Time | Friday, April 3, at 10 a.m. CT |
| Location | Racquet Club | Memphis, Tenn. |
| Live Results | Stat Broadcast |
| Match Notes | Notes (.pdf) |
| /SMUMustangs | /SMUTennisW | |
| @SMUMustangs | @SMUTennis | |
DALLAS -- The SMU women's tennis team, ranked 61st in the country, travels to Memphis for an American Athletic Conference match on Friday, April 3 at 10 a.m. CT at the Racquet Club in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Mustangs (14-4, 3-1 The American) are riding a three-match winning streak after defeating local rival UT Arlington, 4-2, on Tuesday. The win over the Mavericks tied the highest single-season win total (14) under head coach Kati Gyulai. In 2012-13, SMU went 14-10 and finished the season ranked 51st in Gyulai's second season on the Hilltop.
SCOUTING MEMPHIS
Memphis (7-12, 2-2 The American) has lost seven consecutive matches entering Friday, including three in a row at home. The Tigers are 2-9 versus ranked opponents this season. UAB and UCF are the only common opponents between the two teams, with both teams going 2-0 in those matches. Anki Wind is Memphis' top singles player. Wind is ranked 123rd in the ITA singles rankings and has compiled a 16-11 record, including a 10-6 mark in dual matches. Marta Morga (No. 3, 16-10) and Kathryn Hughes (No. 4/5, 11-8) are the only other players with a winning singles percentage. Wind and teammate Alyssa Hibberd, ranked 35th in doubles, are the top doubles team with an 11-3 record.
Series History: SMU is 2-1 all-time versus Memphis. The teams met last year in Dallas, with the Tigers winning, 5-2.
DISHKOVA, VERNER DOMNINATING DOUBLES
Junior Hristina Dishkova and senior Holly Verner's 24 doubles wins this season is a new school record. The previous record was 22. 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 24-4 overall this year, including a perfect 13-0 mark in dual match play. Their 45 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 45
20-WIN CLUB
In singles, Hristina Dishkova and Dasha Sharapova have both eclipsed the 20-win mark this season. Dishkova's record stands at 21-12, including a 11-4 mark in the No. 1 singles slot. Sharapova has the best singles record of any Mustang with a 22-8 mark. Sharapova, who was named all-conference last season, is 12-3 in No. 3 singles in dual matches.
WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
Hristina Dishkova and Dasha Sharapova have both received AAC Player of the Week honors this season. Sharapova earned the award on March 17 afer helping the Mustangs to two wins on their road trip to Hawaii. She went a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles versus Hawaii and Cal State Fullerton. A week later, on March 24, Dishkova received the honor following 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. She also defeated Emily Olivier in the Mustangs' 4-0 victory over 41st-ranked New Mexico.
SMU VS. RANKED OPPONENTS
SMU has faced seven ranked opponents so far this season, posting a 4-3 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), then-No. 41 New Mexico (4-0, March 20) and then-No. 75 Kansas (4-3, March 28). All three of SMU's losses to ranked opponents have come to highly-ranked Big 12 foes.
IN THE ITA RANKINGS
SMU appears in the national ITA rankings for the fourth time this season, coming in at No. 61 in the latest rankings (March 31). The ranking is a one-spot improvement over the last ranking (No. 62, March 24). The Mustangs reached their highest ranking on Feb. 24 (No. 47). 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.
FOREIGN CONNECTION
Four of the eight student-athletes on SMU's roster hail from foreign countries. Vaszilisza Bulgakova (Hungary), Hristina Dishkova (Germany), Yana Erkeeva (Russia) and Dasha Sharapova (Belarus) all represent different nationalities. In addition to the student-athletes, head coach Kati Gyulai is a native Hungarian and was raised in Transylvania, Romania.
UP NEXT - HOUSTON
SMU remains on the road, playing at Houston on Wednesday, April 8 at 11 a.m. CT in the team's final conference match of the regular season. The Cougars are 17-4 and 5-0 in AAC play and are ranked 28th in the latest ITA rankings.
