2022 American Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Championship Semifinal
No. 2 SMU (14-8) vs. No. 7 Cincinnati
Michael D. Case Tennis Center – Tulsa, Okla.
Thursday, Apr. 21, 2022 – 9 a.m.
Championship Central

Live Stream/Live Scoring
Cincinnati | American
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The second-seeded SMU women's tennis team is set to face the seven seed Cincinnati Bearcats in the quarterfinal round of the 2022 AAC Women's Tennis Championship. The match is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Thursday at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.

The Mustangs (14-8) ride a three-match win streak into postseason play, defeating TCU, No. 55 Rice, and No. 56 Memphis, 4-1, 4-3, and 4-0, respectively.

Junior Hadley Doyle seeks her fourth-consecutive dual singles win following a 6-3, 6-3, straight-set victory in the Mustangs' home finale versus No. 56 Memphis on Apr. 18. Of the 10 ITA top-60 teams the Mustangs have faced in dual competition, Doyle has claimed singles victory in six, four of which were done in straight sets. Doyle and junior Jackie Nylander currently rank 57^th in the ITA National Doubles Rankings with a 10-5 dual doubles record.

Lexi Keberle improved to a team-best 12-4 in dual singles with a three-set victory on court one against No. 55 Rice. Keberle's successful 2022 campaign is highlighted by a seven-match win streak in which each were earned in straight sets. Keberle and doubles partner Lana Mavor closed regular season play with four-straight wins, five of which were against ITA top-60 ranked teams, and includes a 6-3 win against the 48^th-ranked doubles pair in the nation (VCU).

Nylander enters her second career postseason appearance with nine dual singles wins, seeking her fourth-consecutive victory on line three against Cincinnati. Nylander has won seven of her last eight completed singles matches, with all but one being earned in straight sets.

Nicole Petchey owns a 10-7 dual singles record following two victory-clinching wins against TCU and No. 55 Rice. Petchey's points have secured the team win on four separate occasions for SMU this spring. The graduate senior has claimed a win in three of her last four contests which includes a straight-set victory against No. 25 Kansas.

Claudia Bartolome capped her 2022 dual campaign with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Memphis' Emily Meyer, snapping her opponent's four-match win streak. Bartolome claimed nine dual singles wins, including two straight-set victories over No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 34 Texas Tech.

Freshman Drew Morris secured her fourth win of the spring in a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Memphis' Monique Woog, handing Woog her first loss of the spring on court six (5-1). Morris' four dual singles wins were each earned in straight sets.

Scouting Cincinnati
Seven-seed Cincinnati defeated Wichita State in the opening round of the AAC Tournament, advancing to a quarterfinal match against the two-seed Mustangs. Despite falling in a doubles point which was played on two courts due to injury, UC claimed straight-set wins on four of five active courts, claiming a 5-1 victory over the Shockers.

The Bearcats, who own the league's second-best dual record at 15-6, own a 24-17 record in singles and an 18-5 mark in doubles play through the dual season. Regular season play for Cincinnati included a ten-match win streak that extended across four weeks of competition.

UC was led in dual singles production by sophomore Kelli Niehaus, who entered the tournament sporting a 14-2 record. Niehaus, along with doubles partner Callie Flanagan, have amassed a team-best 13-3 dual record on court three.

Last Time Out Versus Bearcats
SMU last faced Cincinnati on March 18, 2021, in Dallas, where the Mustangs took a 6-1 victory. In the match, Petchey/Bartolome and Doyle/Nylander claimed doubles wins, followed by straight-set wins for Nylander, Doyle, Bartolome, Petchey, and then-freshman Winslow Huth.

AAC Championship History
The Mustangs continue the hunt for their first AAC Tournament title since joining the league in 2014. Since that time, SMU has competed in all seven conference tournaments, making semifinal appearances in six.
 
2022 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN'S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
First Round | Wednesday, Apr. 20
9 a.m. CT -- #7 Cincinnati (15-6) def. #10 Wichita St.
9 a.m. CT -- #11 East Carolina (4-13) vs. #6 Houston (13-9)
Noon CT -- #9 South Florida (5-16) vs. #8 Temple (11-5)
Quarterfinals | Thursday, Apr. 21
9 a.m. CT -- #2 SMU (13-8) vs. Wichita State-Cincinnati Winner (10/7)
9 a.m. CT -- #3 Tulsa (15-7) vs. ECU-Houston Winner
Noon CT -- #4 Memphis (17-5) vs. #5 Tulane (12-8)
Noon CT -- #1 UCF (15-4) vs. USF/Temple Winner
Semifinals | Friday, Apr. 22
3 p.m. CT -- Thursday Morning Match Winners
3 p.m. CT -- Thursday Afternoon Match Winners
Final | Sunday, Apr. 23 | ESPN+
4 p.m. CT – Championship Round
 
Women's Tennis Heads Into AAC Tourney With Renewed Confidence
No. 43 Mustangs Close Regular Season With 4-0 Shutout Of No. 56 Memphis
Petchey Wills No. 43 Mustangs To 4-3 Win Over No. 55 Rice