The No. 70 SMU men’s tennis team is gearing up for its double-header on Saturday when the Mustangs host both No. 16 Oklahoma State and Centenary College at the Bent Tree Country Club. This weekend begins a nine-match home stand for the SMU squad.

The Mustangs are 7-7 for the season after a loss to No. 35 University of California-Berkley on March 17.

No. 67 Alex Skrypko leads the Mustang roster at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles. The junior holds a 3-6 dual match record in singles and a 5-3 record in doubles with partner Federico Murgier. Skrypko, a native of Minsk, Belarus, fell to No. 23 Pierre Mouillon in SMU’s loss to Cal.

Murgier splits his time between No. 2 and No. 3 singles, but his only win this season came when he played No. 1 against Jesse Buchanan of Southeastern Oklahoma State. At No. 2, the senior is 0-3, and at No. 3, he is 0-5.

Junior David Kuczer has spent the majority of the season at No. 2, earning a 3-6 record at the position. In doubles, the Poland native pairs with either Adolfo Solares or Chris Hooshyar.

Oivind Alver and Robin Faghen play at No.4 and No. 5 singles, respectively, and pair up for doubles at either No. 2 or No. 3. The duo holds a 3-1 record at No. 2 and is 2-3 at No. 3.

In singles, Alver and Faghen often provide some of the liveliest matches of the pairings. At No. 4, Alver is 2-6 this season with a 4-6 record overall in dual matches. Faghen, a freshman from Sweden, has been one of the Mustangs’ most consistent players, going 3-3 at No. 5 and 2-0 at No. 4.

Hooshyar and Solares typically fill in the bottom half of the singles line-up for SMU. Solares holds a 7-3 overall record while Hooshyar is 5-4 in dual matches this season.

As for the competition, OSU currently has two top-ranked players: No. 21 Ivan Puchkarov and No. 57 Oleksandr Nedovyesov.

Nedovyesov is one of the top-ranked freshmen in the country and holds a 7-3 record at No. 1 singles.

Puchkarov, a junior, plays No. 2 behind his teammate and has a 6-3 singles record.

In doubles, OSU is home to the No. 83 ranked pair, Daniel Byrnes and Nedovyesov.

The Cowboys are currently on a five-match win streak, which includes victories over teams such as No. 69 University of Pennsylvania and No. 66 TCU. OSU’s last loss came in mid-February against No. 14 Illinois (OSU was ranked No. 7 at that time). The Cowboys were ranked as high as No. 10 this season. Their current rank of No. 16 is the lowest for OSU for the 2006-2007.

The Mustangs also face the men of Centenary College on Saturday. The Gents are 0-7 this season. At No. 1 singles, freshman Mark Rodgman is 1-5. Last year, the Mustangs hosted Centenary and Prairie View A&M in a double-header that concluded in an SMU sweep of both teams.

The Mustangs continue their season on March 27 when they host the University of Illinois-Chicago at the Bent Tree Country Club.