April 16, 2017

DALLAS (SMU)— The SMU men's tennis team defeated Rice 4-1 Sunday afternoon on Senior Day at the SMU Tennis Complex. The Mustangs ended the regular season with a 13-10 overall record and a 2-3 record in American Athletic Conference play.

"It was a really good match," head coach Carl Neufeld said. "It was one of the best played matches we've had all year against a very tough team. I'm just so proud of the guys and this senior class. It's a wonderful day to be a Mustang."

SMU earned an early 1-0 lead over Rice (20-7) with victories on Court 1 and Court 3 to win the doubles point of the match. Ronald Slobodchikov and Samm Butler beat Rice's Erin Rutledge and Jake Hansen 6-3 on Court 3 before Yates Johnson and Markus Kerner defeated Rice's Tommy Bennett and Daniel Warren 7-6 on Court 1 to win the opening point of the match.

In singles play, SMU defeated Rice in straight sets on all three courts. No. 70 Slobodchikov beat Rice's Jamie Malik, 6-1, 6-3 on Court 1. Butler earned a victory on Court 3 defeating Hansen, 6-2, 6-4, before Kerner beat David Warren 7-5, 6-2, on Court 4 to give SMU its 13th win of the season.

"We played the best tennis this team has played this season," Neufeld said. "We have things to improve on heading to the conference tournament and NCAA's starting in about a month. Our clear goal is the NCAA championships. Our seniors have a lot of experience and we have a great opportunity a head of us."

SMU heads to the American Athletic Conference Tournament April 20-23 at the USTA National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida.

#36 SMU 4, #38 Rice 1
Apr 16, 2017 at Dallas, Texas

Singles competition
1. #70 Ronald Slobodchikov (SMU) def. Jamie Malik (RICE) 6-1, 6-3
2. #93 Hunter Johnson (SMU) vs. Tommy Bennett (RICE) 5-7, 6-4, unfinished
3. Samm Butler (SMU) def. Jake Hansen (RICE) 6-2, 6-4
4. Markus Kerner (SMU) def. David Warren (RICE) 7-5, 6-2
5. Eric Rutledge (RICE) def. Tony Russell (SMU) 7-5, 6-2
6. Yates Johnson (SMU) vs. Emanuel Llamas (RICE) 4-6, 6-5, unfinished

Doubles competition
1. Yates Johnson/Markus Kerner (SMU) def. Tommy Bennett/Daniel Warren (RICE) 7-6
2. David Warren/Henrik Munch (RICE) def. Hunter Johnson/Arkadijs Slobodkins (SMU) 6-3
3. Ronald Slobodchikov/Samm Butler (SMU) def. Eric Rutledge/Jake Hansen (RICE) 6-3

Match Notes
Rice 20-7; National ranking #38
SMU 13-10; National ranking #36
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (1,5,3,4)