SMU’s Monica Neveklovska hits the ball during the match against TCU at Garland Tennis Center. (Christina Parrish)
The SMU tennis teams swept the Texas-Pan American University squads at the Bent Tree Country Club on Wednesday. Both the Mustang women’s and men’s teams beat UTPAM 7-0. The No. 56 women extend their win streak to eight, making them 16-4 overall, while the men took their sixth straight win and advanced to 13-8 for the season.
The Mustangs played side-by-side today in Dallas and handed UTPAM two losses.
The Broncs are 6-12 and the Lady Broncs are 7-8 for the season after Tuesday’s matches.
The SMU men took all three doubles matches to kick off the day. Senior Federico Murgier and junior Alex Skrypko paired up for No. 1 doubles where they defeated Gary Bianco and Ivan Avila 8-3. Junior Oivind Alver and freshman Robin Faghen earned their tenth doubles victory for the season 8-6, over Brett Bernstein and Nirvick Mohinta. At No. 3, junior David Kuczer and junior Adolfo Solares shut out David Lopez-Heredia and Shashank Vij.
The Mustang women’s team also won three straight in doubles. Junior Natalia Bubien and freshman Claire Reitsch took their fifteenth win this season at No. 1 with an 8-2 victory over Giana Oliveira and Julia Cirne-Lima. In the No. 2 spot, senior Jennifer Chay and freshman Pavi Francis posted an 8-0 win. Sophomores Monica Neveklovska and Kristen Reid finished their match against Silke Buksik and Megan Bedeau at 8-4.
In singles, the men and women both won all six matches. All of the men’s singles matches were decided in two sets. No. 72 Skrypko played No. 1 and beat Gary Bianco 6-0, 6-1. Kuczer, Alver and Murgier defend No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 respectively against their UTPAM opponents.
Faghen (12-5) and Solares (12-3) hold the Mustangs’ best singles records so far this season. Each advanced his record with a singles win on Tuesday. Faghen earned a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 5 while Solares beat Mohinta at No. 6.
The SMU women continued the sweep with six singles victories. Bubien and Chay defended No. 1 and No. 2, each winning in straight sets.
With a win at No. 3, Reitsch improved her singles record to 17-2 for the season, the best on the Mustang roster. After a rough start, Francis pulled out a three set victory over UTPAM’s Bedeau 0-6, 6-1, 6-1. She holds a 16-4 singles record this season.
Reid defended the No. 5 position 6-3, 6-0 against Buksik while Neveklovska beat Luisa Cantu 6-1, 6-4 at No. 6.
The SMU women’s tennis team will be back in action on April 7, when the women face Santa Clara University at the Garland Tennis Center. The men’s team also plays on April 7, when it hosts the men of Notre Dame at the Bent Tree Country Club.
SMU’s Oivind Alver prepares to hit the ball in a match against Illinois-Chicago at Bent Tree Tennis Center. (Sarah Acosta)
