Jan. 27, 2017
DALLAS (SMU) – The SMU women's team is set to host Abilene Christian and Prairie View Sunday at the SMU Tennis Complex, Turpin Stadium & Brookshire Family Pavilion.
The Mustangs open the spring dual season after competing in six tournaments in the fall. SMU will face Abilene Christian at 3 p.m. CT, followed by Prairie View A&M at 6:30 p.m. CT.
"We are excited to start the dual match season. We had a very productive fall and made improvements in all areas," head coach
Kati Gyulai said. "The team is healthy and motivated and we look forward to a great journey together."
SCOUTING ABILENE CHRISTIAN
ACU (1-1) started its spring season at home a week ago when the Wildcats hosted TCU and UTEP in a doubleheader. ACU split the two matches, falling to TCU (6-0), while defeating UTEP (4-3). The Wildcats will take on Prairie View and Houston Saturday in Houston before making the trip to Dallas.
SERIES HISTORY:
SMU is 9-0 all-time against ACU dating back to their first meeting in 1999. The Mustangs defeated the Wildcats, 5-2, in their season opener last season.
There were matchups between competitors from SMU and ACU in the fall at the SMU Invite (Oct. 7-9) and the ITA Regional Championships (Oct. 20-22). At the SMU Invite,
Mary Wright and
Dasha Sharapova defeated Erin Walker and Whitney Williams 7-6 in doubles play. At the ITA Regional Championships,
Sarai Monarrez Yesaki teamed up with
Ana Perez-Lopez to defeat Walker and Williams, 8-4.
Abilene Christian (9-0)
Home: 9-0, Away: 0-0, Neutral: 0-0
| 4/18/1999 |
H |
W |
8-1 |
| 2/8/2002 |
H |
W |
6-1 |
| 3/24/2003 |
H |
W |
7-0 |
| 3/29/2004 |
H |
W |
6-1 |
| 4/15/2006 |
H |
W |
7-0 |
| 2/2/2009 |
H |
W |
4-0 |
| 3/12/2010 |
H |
W |
4-3 |
| 4/10/2015 |
H |
W |
6-1 |
| 1/26/2016 |
H |
W |
5-2 |
SCOUTING PRAIRIE VIEW A&M
Prairie View A&M is 0-6 on the season and will play Abilene Christian Saturday in Houston before coming to Dallas for Sunday's contest. The Panthers have dropped matches against Texas State (6-1), Sam Houston State (7-0), University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (5-2), Lamar (7-0) and Houston (4-0) and UIW (6-1).
SERIES HISTORY:
SMU will face Prairie View A&M for the first time since 2008. The Mustangs are 4-0 all-time against the Panthers.
Prairie View A&M (4-0)
Home: 4-0, Away: 0-0, Neutral: 0-0
| 1/23/2005 |
H |
W |
7-0 |
| 2/11/2006 |
H |
W |
7-0 |
| 3/31/2007 |
H |
W |
6-0 |
| 2/2/2008 |
H |
W |
7-0 |
ORACLE/ITA DIVISION I RANKINGS
Women's National Team
Administered by the ITA
(as of January 25, 2017)
| Rank |
School |
Previous |
| 1 |
University of Florida |
1 |
| 2 |
University of North Carolina |
2 |
| 3 |
Pepperdine University |
3 |
| 4 |
Stanford University |
4 |
| 5 |
Oklahoma State |
5 |
| 6 |
University of Georgia |
6 |
| 7 |
Ohio State |
7 |
| 8 |
California |
8 |
| 9 |
Vanderbilt University |
9 |
| 10 |
Duke University |
10 |
| 11 |
Georgia Tech |
11 |
| 12 |
University of Miami (FL) |
12 |
| 13 |
Texas Tech |
13 |
| 14 |
University of Michigan |
14 |
| 15 |
Auburn University |
15 |
| 16 |
University of South Carolina |
16 |
| 17 |
University of Texas |
17 |
| 18 |
USC |
18 |
| 19 |
LSU |
19 |
| 20 |
University of Kentucky |
20 |
| 21 |
Arizona State |
22 |
| 22 |
Texas A&M |
21 |
| 23 |
Mississippi State |
24 |
| 24 |
UCLA |
25 |
| 25 |
Northwestern |
NR |
2017 OUTLOOK:
SMU will be led by seniors
Mary Wright,
Macie Elliott and
Dasha Sharapova after the graduation of all-conference performers
Vaszilisza Bulgakova and
Hristina Dishkova.
Gyulai has added a talented group of newcomers to the roster, including
Charline Anselmo,
Liza Buss,
Sara Jamal,
Sarai Monarrez Yesaki and
Ellie Zogg. Buss transferred from Iowa State after earning All-Big 12 second-team honors and All-Big 12 Freshman team accolades last season. Zogg was a five-star recruit out of high school and transferred from South Carolina after her freshman season last year. Anselmo, Monarrez Yesaki and Jamal are all freshman.
Gyulai enters her sixth season at the helm on the Hilltop and led SMU to 14-10 record last season and a ITA ranking as high as No. 49 (Feb. 23) during the season. Gyulai also guided SMU to the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship for the second-consecutive year.
ABOUT SMU TENNIS COMPLEX:
To ensure the future success of SMU's historic tennis program, a new SMU Tennis Complex, Turpin Stadium & Brookshire Family Pavilion opened in 2015. The new complex is a preeminent, top-tier facility located prominently on the south side of Mockingbird Lane at the corner of North Central Expressway, formerly the site of Mrs. Baird's Bakery.
The new complex provides both indoor and outdoor courts as well as a training center for student athletes and coaches, ensuring that Mustang players can train year-round on campus. In addition, patron accommodations optimize comfort and viewing and include special guest amenities and a club area, providing an enhanced spectator experience.
Match-day parking for the SMU Tennis Complex is available on campus in the Binkley and Moody Parking Centers. We ask that visitors not park in the residential areas surrounding the facility or in Park Cities Plaza.
HOME SWEET HOME:
SMU will take advantage of the two-year old SMU Tennis Complex, starting their season at home with six straight matches before facing back-to-back Big 12 opponents on the road. The Mustangs will first head to Norman to play Oklahoma on Feb. 19, followed by a trip to College Station, Texas to face No. 22 Texas A&M.
From Feb. 26 to April 1, the Mustangs will play a total of 10 matches at home, including four nationally ranked opponents (Arizona, Wichita State, Georgia State, UT Arlington) from the final ITA poll from last season.
LOOKING AHEAD:
SMU will continue its homestand next weekend hosting Sam Houston State Friday, Feb. 3 at the SMU Tennis Complex at 5 p.m. CT. SMU returns to the court Saturday for a doubleheader against Northwestern State and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). The Mustangs will first face the Lady Demons at 1 p.m. CT, followed by a match against UTRGV at 5 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE MUSTANGS:
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU Women's Tennis on Twitter at @SMUTennis and on Facebook at Facebook.com/SMUTennisW. Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.
