Heading into the final week of the regular season, the No. 22 Mustang women’s tennis team (24-2) will travel to Houston at 2 p.m. Sunday for a matchup against the Rice Owls (10-10).

The team has already established a new high for wins in a season, and SMU’s current winning percentage of .923 would qualify as the highest in Conference USA history.

Since being ranked No. 75 on February 10, the Mustangs have charged 53 spots up the national charts.

In that span, SMU has a sparkling record of 15-1, including 13 consecutive victories leading up to Sunday’s season finale against Rice. The Owls are 1-6 in their last seven matches.

“We always play them in the regular season, and we’ve won every year,” said senior co-captain Monica Neveklovska.

But the Owls defeated SMU in the C-USA Championship Match in Dallas to end the Mustangs’ 2005-06 season, a loss which still lingers in the minds of seniors on the team.

“They beat us here,” Neveklovska said, “so we definitely can’t take them lightly. The seniors definitely won’t take them lightly.”

After facing Rice, SMU will return to Houston next weekend for the C-USA Championships, which run March 16-20.

“If everyone stays confident and playing just like we’re playing now we should be fine,” said senior Kristen Reid.