Women's tennis beats UT-Arlington, 4-2

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 61 Mustangs Defeat UT Arlington, 4-2

March 31, 2015

DALLAS -- The 61st-ranked SMU women's tennis team defeated UT Arlington, 4-2, on Tuesday afternoon at the outdoor Turpin Stadium at the SMU Tennis Complex.

"It is hard to play your good neighbor. We have a great rivalry with UTA," said head coach Kati Gyulai. "They are a very good team. They never give up."

SMU improved to 14-4 on the year, while UTA fell to 10-4. The Mustangs' 14th win ties the highest single-season total under head coach Kati Gyulai. In 2012-13, SMU went 14-10 and finished the season ranked 51st in the ITA Rankings.

SMU won the doubles point with victories in the No. 1 and 3 matches. Vaszilisza Bulgakova and Dasha Sharapova (No. 1) defeated Angeles de los Rios and Ekaterina Tugarinova, 6-0.

Macie Elliott and Mary Wright (No. 3) clinched the point, topping Jessica Birowski and Augustina Serio, 6-3. Elliott and Wright are a perfect 3-0 since being inserted into the lineup last weekend.

In singles, UTA's Christine Foote (No. 5) evened the score at 1-1, defeating Bulgakova, 6-1, 6-0.

Hristina Dishkova (No. 1) put the Mustangs back on top, beating de los Rios in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3. However, the Mavericks answered, as Elizabeth Thoms (No. 2) defeated Anna Kate Anderson, 6-4, 6-2.

Holly Verner (No. 6) put SMU within a point of clinching with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 victory over Birowski. Sharapova then clinched it for the Mustangs, coming from behind to defeat Serio in three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.

"We have a great group of fighters on this team. We took the doubles point with a big margin but fell a set behind on most courts in singles," said Gyulai. "We keep talking about controlling our own effort and attitude and that's what everyone did. This is an excellent win for us."

Next up for the Mustangs is a road trip to Memphis on Friday, April 3 at 10 a.m. CT.

#61 SMU 4, UT Arlington 2

Singles
1. Hristina Dishkova (SMU) def. de los Rios, Angeles (UTA) 6-4, 6-3
2. Thoms, Elizabeth (UTA) def. Anna Kate Anderson (SMU) 6-4, 6-2
3. Dasha Sharapova (SMU) def. Serio, Augustina (UTA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Yana Erkeeva (SMU) vs. Gehre, Astrid (UTA) 3-6, 7-5, 2-1, unfinished
5. Foote, Christine (UTA) def. Vaszilisza Bulgakova (SMU) 6-1, 6-0
6. Holly Verner (SMU) def. Birowski, Jessica (UTA) 7-6 (7-2), 6-4

Doubles
1. Bulgakova / Sharapova (SMU) def. de los Rios / Tugarinova, Ekaterina (UTA) 6-0
2. Dishkova / Verner (SMU) vs. Gehre / Thoms (UTA) 4-3, unfinished
3. Macie Elliott / Mary Wright (SMU) def. Birowski / Serio (UTA) 6-3