No. 70 Women's Tennis Falls Short Against No. 47 Louisville

[PonyPride]

No. 70 Women's Tennis Falls Short Against No. 47 Louisville
Bubien Dominates at No. 1 Singles


DALLAS (SMU)--The No. 70 SMU women's tennis team fell to No. 47 Louisville Friday, 6-1, at the Garland Tennis Center. Natalia Bubien dominated at No. 1 singles, but the Mustangs came up short against the Cardinals.

In doubles, the Mustangs won at No. 1, with Bubien pairing with Pavi Francis to defeat Bianca Gorbea and Natalia Baez, 8-6. At No. 2, Nicole Briceno teamed with Kristen Reid, where the duo fell behind 7-3. Briceno and Reid battled back from their slow start, driving the score to 7-6. The duo fought hard in the final game, but ultimately fell, 8-6.

Bubien was the first to finish in singles, making quick work of Lauren Imre. Bubien dispatched Imre in straight sets, 6-0, 6-3. At No. 4, Reid dropped her match to Jo-Ann Van Aerde, 6-3, 6-2. Francis played a hotly-contested match at No. 2, but was unable to overturn Lindsey Jones, falling, 7-5, 6-4.

Briceno took a set from Gorbea at No. 3 in the only match of the day to go longer than two sets. Gorbea took the first set, 6-4, but Briceno rallied back to take the second, 6-2. In the decisive third set, Briceno fell, 7-5.

"We played well at 1 doubles and had plenty of opportunities at 2, where we were in control once we found our groove," said head coach Lauren Longbotham-Meisner. "Unfortunately, it is hard to dig yourself out of a 7-3 hole, and today we ended up just short of a nice comeback. In singles, Natalia played smart points and really took care of business quickly. I'm also very proud of Nicole, who battled stomach issues and showed a great deal of heart and determination, even in defeat. Louisville gets a lot of credit for coming down to Texas for their first outdoor match, not letting the conditions get to them, and playing solid tennis on all courts. As a whole, we failed to repeat the intelligent and inspired play we showed last time out at UNLV, and that is directly reflected in the score today."

The Mustangs are back in action Sunday as they host Conference USA rival No. 62 Tulsa at 1pm at Garland Tennis Center (maps, directions). For the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.

No. 47 Louisville 6, No. 70 SMU 1

Doubles:
1. Bubien/Francis (SMU) def. Garbea/Baez (UL) 8-6
2. White/VanAerde (UL) def. Briceno/Reid (SMU) 8-6
3. Not played, defaulted

Singles:
1. Natalia Bubien (SMU) def. Lauren Imre (UL) 6-0, 6-3
2. Lindsey Jones (UL) def. Pavi Francis (SMU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Bianca Gorbea (UL) def. Nicole Briceno (SMU) 6-4, 2-6, 7-5
4. Jo Ann VanAerde (UL) def. Kristen Reid (SMU) 6-3, 6-2
5. Not played, defaulted
6. Not played, defaulted