SMU Heads To ITA Kick-Off Weekend

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU Men's Tennis (1-2) will continue the spring dual match season on Friday with a trip to Los Angeles, California to compete in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Jan. 26-27.

The Mustangs return to the court after going 0-2 last weekend against Harvard and No. 8 Texas. SMU battled Harvard but ultimately fell, 4-3, on Friday at the SMU Tennis Complex. The Longhorns swept the Mustangs, 4-0, on Sunday at the Weller Tennis Center in Austin, Texas.

SMU will face UC Santa Barbara (0-0) on Friday at 10 a.m. PT/12 p.m. CT and either No. 5 USC (1-0) or Indiana (2-1) on Saturday. ITA Kick-Off Weekends are played at 15 college sites nationwide, and the 15 schools that win both their weekend matches will be invited to play in the Feb. 16-19 ITA National Team Indoor Championship hosted by the University of Washington.

SCOUTING UC SANTA BARBARA
The Gauchos finished the 2016-17 season with an overall record of 19-6 and 5-0 in the Big West Conference. At the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, UC Santa Barbara was represented by junior Nicolas Moreno de Alboran in the men's singles open. Moreno de Alboran fell short of a victory for the program, losing to No. 7 ranked and ninth-seeded Alfredo Perez of Florida in straight sets, 7-6 (5), 7-6 (8).

SCOUTING USC & INDIANA
USC is ranked fifth as a team in the Jan. 17 ITA Rankings. The Trojans have two players ranked in singles – No. 13 Brandon Holt and No. 49 Logan Smith – but no players ranked nationally in doubles. The Trojans opened dual match season against UC Davis, picking up a 6-1 victory.

Indiana enters the ITA Kick-Off weekend with wins over Ball State and Eastern Illinois and a loss at the hands of Memphis. One player, No. 125 Raheel Manji, is ranked in singles for IU. The senior holds a 6-3 overall singles record, with a 4-2 record in fall tournament play. The Hoosiers were 13-13 in 2016-17, with a 4-7 record in the Big Ten.

SERIES INFO
The Mustangs hold a 4-1 winning record against UC Santa Barbara, with all but one win coming at home. On neutral sites, the Mustangs hold a clean 0-0 record against the Gauchos. The two teams last met in 2015, when SMU won 6-1 at home.

SMU vs. UC Santa Barbara (4-1)
Home: 3-0, Away: 1-1, Neutral: 0-0
3/30/01..............A.................W................... 7-0
3/8/09................H.................W................... 4-3
4/10/11..............H.................W................... 4-3
2/18/12..............A.................L .................... 4-3
1/19/15..............H.................W................... 6-1

SMU is winless all-time against USC and hasn't taken on the Trojans since 2005. All three losses have come on neutral ground dating back to the first meeting in 1985.

SMU vs. USC (0-3)
Home: 0-0, Away: 0-0, Neutral: 0-3
5/85...................N.................L .................... 5-4
2/7/02................N.................L .................... 4-1
5/13/05..............N.................L .................... 4-1

The Mustangs and the Hoosiers have only met once during a home match for SMU that resulted in a 4-3 loss. The two have never met on a neutral site.

SMU vs. Indiana (0-1)
Home: 0-1, Away: 0-0, Neutral: 0-0
3/10/08..............H.................L .................... 4-3

LOOKING AHEAD
SMU will return to Dallas to face UT – Permian Basin (9:30 a.m.) and Midwestern State (4:30 p.m.) on Feb. 4.

FOLLOW THE MUSTANGS
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU Men's Tennis on Twitter at @SMUTennisM, Instagram at @SMUTennisM and on Facebook at Facebook.com/MTennis. Follow SMU Athletics on Twitter at @SMUMustangs or Instagram at SMU.Mustangs.

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