Junior Georgiana Marta returns the ball in a match-up against Mississippi State. (John Schreiber)

West Coast swing gets SMU men on the winning track

The SMU men’s tennis team won its third competition in four tries on Saturday by roaring past the No. 32 California Golden Bears, 4-2, in the Pebble Beach (Calif.) Collegiate Classic.

It was SMU’s second win over a ranked team in eight tries this season. The Mustangs (12-6) defeated San Francisco, 6-1, in their opening tournament match on Friday.

SMU will not leave Texas in its next seven matches. The Mustangs will face Columbia in a home match this Saturday and will travel to Waco to face No. 12 Baylor on March 27.

SMU’s top three singles players all swept their weekend matches.

No. 117 David Kuczer, competing in the No. 1 spot, defeated No. 96 Kalim Stewart, from California, in straight sets (6-2, 6-4). He managed a three-set victory over San Francisco’s Thong Tu (3-6, 6-2, 6-2).

No. 62 Robin Fahgen, who had played No. 1 singles this season but recently dropped to No. 2, downed both his opponents in straight sets. San Francisco’s Asaf Cohen was Fahgen’s first weekend victim, 6-4, 6-0. His 6-1, 6-2 victory over California’s Eoin Heavey was SMU’s most resounding victory on Saturday.

No. 3 Alex Skrypko dropped San Francisco’s Rainer Nauchbauer, 6-3, 6-2, and California’s Pedro Zerbini, 6-4, 7-5.

SMU’s doubles teams won two of their three matches on Friday and didn’t compete on Saturday, thanks to three rain delays that forced the cancellation of the doubles competitions.

In the No. 1 spot, Skrypko and Fahgen won their third match in a row on Friday, defeating Falko Huettenberger and Cohen, 8-4. After Kuczer and Adham el-Effendi narrowly lost the No. 2 match, 8-6, Oivind Alver and Chris Hooshyar rebounded the Mustangs with a resounding 8-3 victory.

Women drop two at home

The No. 70 SMU women missed a golden opportunity to recapture lost momentum, as they dropped two weekend home matches to ranked teams.

No. 47 Louisville was the first to conquer the Mustangs, 6-1, at the Garland Tennis Center on Friday. Then No. 62 Tulsa bounced the Mustangs, 5-2, at the same courts on Sunday.

The Mustangs, who have lost five straight, will once again look to turn things around at home when they face Notre Dame next Monday.

Natalia Bubien was SMU’s big winner on Friday, as she defeated Louisville’s Lauren Imre, 6-0, 6-3, in No. 1 singles. She paired with Pavi Francis to defeat Bianca Gorbea and Natalia Baez, 8-6, in No. 1 doubles.

Nicole Briceno and Kristen Reid had a chance to give SMU the doubles point, but fell to Jo-Ann Van Aerde and Robyn White in a narrow 8-6 decision.

Francis, Briceno and Reid fell in Nos. 2, 3 and 4 singles, respectively. SMU defaulted wins in Nos. 5 and 6 singles and No. 3 doubles.

Bubien and Francis and Briceno and Reid both captured doubles victories on Sunday, but Briceno was the only SMU player to win a singles match.

Bubien and Francis, once again pairing at No. 1, easily defeated Tulsa’s Rebecca Row and Carla Zabaleta, 8-1. Briceno and Reid gave the Mustangs the doubles point with an 8-6 victory over Thalia Diaz-Barriga and Marta Marcinkowska.

Briceno eked out a three-set victory over Row, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, in No. 3 singles.

The Mustangs forfeited in No. 3 doubles and No. 5 singles.