SMU (4-4, 0-0 ACC) at Rice (5-1, 0-0 AAC)
Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 – 1 p.m. CT
George R. Brown Tennis Center – Houston, Texas
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DALLAS (SMU) - SMU women's tennis will travel to Houston on Friday to take on Rice, a former conference foe in the American, at 1 p.m. CT at the George R. Brown Tennis Center. The matchup is followed by six straight home matches, including their ACC opener on Feb. 21 against Notre Dame.
 
Last time out, SMU women's tennis got back on track with a 4-2 win over the Houston Cougars. After dropping the doubles point, SMU one singles matches at positions two, three, four, and final six to win the match. Millie Skelton clinched the win for the Mustangs with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win over Valerriia Krokhotina on court six, improving to 5-1 in the spring in dual singles action.
 
What Coach Nevolo had to say post-match: "After a tough doubles point, we buckled down and fought.  No match is easy on our schedule, and I'm proud of the way we responded to adversity," said Head Coach Jeff Nevolo post-match. 
 
QUICK FACTS

• The Mustangs lead the overall series over Rice 17-12 and have won each of the last six matches. SMU is 8-5 at Rice and has won each of the previous two road contests.
• Rice enters the weekend with a 5-1 record. Their lone loss came to TCU in Houston. The Owls' most recent win was over Houston on Feb. 5, 4-0 at Rice.
• Last season, Rice went 12-10, falling to SMU in the semifinals of the AAC Championships 4-2.
• According to the latest rankings, Drew Morris and Arianna Stavropoulos are ranked 84th in the ITA in doubles. The tandem is 5-2 in the spring. Darya Schwartzman and Maria Fernanda Martinez Hernandez are ranked one spot behind the Mustang tandem at No. 85, with a 5-1 record.
• Freshman Millie Skelton leads the Mustangs in singles wins so far this spring. Skelton holds a 5-1 record in dual singles matchups.
• SMU enters their sixth season of the Jeff Nevolo era, coming off a stellar 2024 season in which they produced a 14-12 overall record, claimed the AAC Championship while also reaching the second round of the NCAA tournament after beating No. 33 Alabama 4-3 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. At SMU, Nevolo is 79-49.

 
Keep up with all the latest news and information on the Mustangs by following SMU Women's Tennis on X @SMUWTennis, on Instagram @smuwtennis, and on Facebook @SMUWomensTennis or check out information online at smumustangs.com.