SMU’s Georgiana Marta lunges to return the ball. (Christina Parrish)

The No. 55 SMU women’s tennis team takes on conference opponent Houston on Sunday at the Hoff Courts in Houston.

The Mustangs are 8-4 this season, after a 7-0 loss to TCU on Wednesday. In conference play, the women are 0-1 after a loss to Tulsa in late February.

The team played against TCU without a full roster, but sophomore Kristen Reid is expected to return for Sunday’s match. The status of junior Natalia Bubien will be decided on the day of the match.

Freshmen Claire Rietsch and Pavi Francis have remained strongholds in the singles lineup, holding records of 9-2 and 9-3, respectively. Senior Georgiana Marta has played at No. 4 and No. 5 consistently throughout the season and has a 6-3 record. She has also paired with Rietsch twice in dual matches, going 1-1.

SMU and Houston met only once last season, with SMU taking the win 5-2.

On top of Houston’s roster are doubles partners Loli Gomez and Lelia Salek, who also share No. 1 and No. 2 singles positions.

The Cougars are coming off a 4-3 loss to Southern Mississippi, making them 9-4 for the season. They are not currently ranked in the top 75 of ITA standings but had not lost to a non-ranked team until Southern Mississippi.

The contest against Houston is the first of three matches on the road for the Mustangs, concluding with games against Arkansas-Little Rock and South Alabama in Little Rock, Arkansas.