Mustangs Top Tulane, Face Houston On Thursday

Wednesday, April 17

11 A.M.

SMU

Tulane

Mustangs Top Tulane, Face Houston On Thursday

Apr 17 | Women's Tennis

BOX SCORE SEASON STATS

ORLANDO, Fla. (SMU) -- SMU Women's Tennis topped Tulane 4-2 in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship from Orlando. The Mustangs move on to face Houston at 2 p.m. CT on Tuesday.

The Mustangs started the match by winning a tight doubles point. Karina Traxler and Tiffany Hollebeck went up against a nationally-ranked doubles team and fell 6-3. Avery Aude and Vivienne Kulicke swept their matchup, 6-0. On the pivotal court two, Ana Perez-Lopez and Sarai Monarrez Yesaki found themselves in a tiebreaker after a back-and-forth 12 games. The duo pulled out the win 7-5 in the breaker.

Traxler finished first, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 win on line two. Kulicke won her first set 6-2 before dropping the second in a tiebreaker. The senior was unfazed and dominated set three, 6-0, for the third Mustang point.

The Green Wave won their first point with a victory on No. 3 singles. Perez Lopez dropped the match,4-6, 4-6. Avery Aude lost a close match on No. 6, falling in tiebreakers in both sets.

Needing a win in one of the two remaining courts, the Mustangs were locked in a pair of third sets. Hollebeck broke her opponent to lead 3-1 before four consecutive breaks put the junior one hold away from a victory. Hollebeck sent Tulane home as she finished off her 7-5, 3-6, 6-3 win. Monarrez Yeskai was tied 4-4 with a break point opportunity at the time of clinch.

The Mustangs move on to the AAC Quarters for the sixth consecutive season. They face instate foe and No. 3 seed Houston at 2 p.m. from the USTA National Campus.