BOX SCORE

DALLAS (SMU) – SMU women's tennis dropped a hard-fought match to No. 17 Texas Tech, 4-3 on Thursday afternoon inside the Brookshire Family Pavilion at the SMU Tennis Complex.

The Mustangs started the day strong by securing the doubles point. Seniors Liza Buss and Anzhelika Shapovalova beat Lana Rush and Kennedy Bridgforth at No. 2 doubles 6-3. At match point, Buss fired a powerful serve that the Red Raiders could not return in bounds. Seniors Ana Perez-Lopez and Vivienne Kulicke fought against the No. 38 team of Felicity Maltby and Nell Miller at No. 1, but fell 6-3.

Senior Karina Traxler and junior Tiffany Hollebeck clinched the doubles point for SMU with a 7-5 win over Olivia Peet and Francesca Sella at the No. 3 position. Traxler played a drop shot at match point, which set her up to slam an overhand winner to seal the match. Traxler leads the Mustangs with 10 doubles wins this year; Hollebeck and Traxler are 4-1 as a pair.

Shapovalova doubled SMU's lead to 2-0 with a dominant win over Bridgforth at No. 5 singles, 6-1, 6-2. She improved to 3-0 on the season with the victory. Perez-Lopez extended the Mustangs' lead to 3-0 with a straight-set victory over Denise-Antonela Stoica, 6-3, 6-3.

Buss, Kulicke and sophomore Nicole Petchey battled the final three matches of the day to three sets, but each ultimately fell. Buss won eight straight points to take the first set against No. 52 Felicity Maltby at No. 1, but lost 6-4 in the second and third sets.

The Mustangs hit the road for the first time this spring, traveling to Norman, Okla., to take on Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 19 at 10 a.m.

Texas Tech 4, SMU 3 (Jan. 17, 2019)
DOUBLES
1. No. 38 Maltby/Miller (TTU) def. Perez-Lopez/Kulicke (SMU), 6-3
2. Buss/Shapovalova (SMU) def. Rush/Bridgforth (TTU), 6-3
3. Hollebeck/Traxler (SMU) def. Peet/Sella (TTU), 7-5
Order of Finish: 1,2,3

SINGLES
1. No. 52 Felicity Maltby (TTU) def. Liza Buss (SMU), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4
2. Nell Miller (TTU) def. Vivienne Kulicke (SMU), 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
3. Ana Perez-Lopez (SMU) def. Denise-Antonela Stoica (TTU), 6-3, 6-3
4. Francesca Sella (TTU) def. Karina Traxler (SMU), 6-4, 6-2
5. Anzhelika Shapovalova (SMU) def. Kennedy Bridgforth (SMU), 6-1, 6-2
6. Lana Rush (TTU) def. Nicole Petchey (SMU), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
Order of Finish: 5,3,4,2,6,1