TAMPA (SMU) – SMU women's tennis swept USF, 4-0, in a road match on Friday at the USF Varsity Tennis Courts. The Mustangs improved to 5-0 against American Athletic Conference opponents this season.
"The team battled well today," said head coach
Jeff Nevolo. "Each doubles court was down early and fought back to gain leads. Ultimately, Jackie (Nylander) and Hads (Doyle) stepped up and took it when it counted. We had a great effort on each court. Winslow and chandler battled back to get tiebreaker wins on 3 and 4 in the first set which really helped us pull away. South Florida has a talented team and they brought great energy into the match. We've got a driven group and we're excited to head up the road to Orlando for a big match against UCF.
Winning their second consecutive road match, the Mustangs controlled the Bulls dropping just two sets in the match. The win gave the Mustangs 11 victories in their last 12 matches.
The day started with a comeback victory for the Mustangs in doubles.
Nicole Petchey and
Winslow Huth put together a 6-3 win on court three. Now the 30
th-ranked doubles team in the country,
Jackie Nylander and
Hadley Doyle trailed 1-4 before rallying for five straight games to win the match, 6-4.
Chandler Carter and
Claudia Bartolome were within one game of a victory on court two.
In singles, Petchey rolled on court six for a quick 6-2, 6-1 win, improving to 12-3 on the season with her eighth straight victory. No. 68 Nylander followed closely behind with a 6-3, 6-2 win on the top line, her 10
th of the season.
USF tightened the match winning set one on court five against Bartolome and forcing a third set on court two against Doyle.
Huth fought through a first set tiebreaker win, 7-6 (4) before dominating set two, 6-1 and clinching the victory for the Mustangs.
Carter also pulled out a set one tiebreaker win and led 5-2 on court four at the time of clinch. Bartolome was up 2-1 in the third and Doyle was just getting underway with her final set.
Next up, the Mustangs continue their Florida roadtrip on Sunday as they face No. 18 UCF at 11 a.m. CT / Noon ET.