April 20, 2017
ORLANDO, Fla. (SMU) – SMU (17-6, 3-0) faces USF (13-10, 3-2) in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship Friday at 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT.
The Mustangs advanced to the semifinals for the third straight year after a 4-1 quarterfinal win against East Carolina on Thursday. It was the Mustangs 17th victory, which is the most wins in a season since 2011 when SMU finished with a 23-6 record and advanced to the Round of 16.
SMU will meet USF in the semifinals for the straight year. The Bulls defeated No. 2 seed Tulane, 4-1, Thursday in its quarterfinal matchup. SMU and USF met twice last year with the Bulls winning both matches.
LAST MATCH – THE AMERICAN QUARTERFINAL (W, 4-1 vs. East Carolina on April 20, 2017):
For the third straight year, the SMU women's tennis team advance to the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship after a 4-1 win against East Carolina Thursday afternoon at the USTA National Campus.
"Every member of this team did their part today and contributed," head coach
Kati Gyulai said. "We didn't make all the shots but made the ones that mattered the most. We look forward to the playing in the semifinals."
The Mustangs (17-6) improved to 3-0 all-time against the Pirates (12-11) and 4-0 this season against conference opponents.
SMU never trailed jumping out to a 2-0 lead after winning the doubles point and No. 2 singles.
Mary Wright and
Dasha Sharapova (No. 3) defeated Michelle Castro and Annija Veinsteina, 6-3, and
Macie Elliott and
Liza Buss (No. 2) clinched the point with a 7-5 win against Maria Gomez and Nastja Rettich. In No. 2 singles,
Sarai Monarrez Yesaki came out strong winning 6-0, 6-2 against Veinsteina.
East Carolina got within one after Celia Ruiz defeated
Liza Buss, 6-2, 6-0, in No. 1 singles. However, Wright and Sharapova secured the win for the Mustangs recording victories in the No. 6 and No. 4 matches, respectively. Wright defeated Nastja Rettich, 7-5, 6-3, while
Ana Perez-Lopez clinched the match with a 6-4, 6-4 victory against Michelle Castro.
SCOUTING USF
No. 7 seed USF is in the conference semifinals for the third time in four years. The Bulls advanced to the final a year ago but fell to Tulsa (4-0). USF lost its quarterfinal match against UCF (4-0) in 2015 and won The American in 2014 with a 4-2 win against Houston in the final. The Bulls are on a four-match winning streak with all the victories against conference opponents (Houston, UCF, Temple, and Tulane).
SERIES HISTORY:
SMU is 1-5 all-time against USF and will face the Bulls for the third time in four years in the postseason. The Mustangs only win (5-2) in the series was at home on February 22, 2015.
USF (1-5)
Home: 1-0, Away: 0-2, Neutral: 0-3
| 3/17/95 |
N |
L |
7-2 |
| 3/12/14 |
A |
L |
6-1 |
| 4/18/14 |
N |
L |
4-0 |
| 2/22/15 |
H |
W |
5-2 |
| 3/12/16 |
A |
L |
4-2 |
| 4/22/16 |
N |
L |
4-0 |
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2017 American Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
USTA National Campus – Orlando, Fla.
Wednesday, April 19 - First Round (Results)
Match 1 - No. 8 USF 4, No. 10 Temple 0
Match 2 - No. 6 East Carolina 4, No. 11 Connecticut 3
Match 3 - No. 8 UCF 4, No. 9 Houston 0
Thursday, April 20 - Quarterfinals (Results)
Match 4 - No. 1 Tulsa 4, No. 8 UCF 1
Match 5
- No. 4 Cincinnati 4, No. 5 Memphis 1
Match 6 - No. 3 SMU 4, East Carolina 1
Match 7 - No. 7 USF 4 vs. No. 2 Tulane 1
Friday, April 21 - Semifinals
Match 8 - No. 1 Tulsa vs. No. 4 Cincinnati - 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT (Courts 1-6)
Match 9 - No. 3 SMU vs. No. 7 USF - 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT (Courts 7-12)
Saturday, April 22 - Final
Match 10 - Winner of Match 8 vs. Winner of Match 9 - 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT (Courts 1-6)
