USF Athletics

Bulls Begin Conference Play Versus SMU and Tulane

March 25, 2021

MATCHUP: SMU at South Florida
WHEN: Friday, March 26 at noon
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla.
STATS: http://bit.ly/37afIAc
 
MATCHUP: Tulane at South Florida
WHEN: Sunday, March 28 at noon
LOCATION: Tampa, Fla.
STATS: http://bit.ly/37afIAc
 
TAMPA, FLA., March 25, 2021 – The University of South Florida women's tennis team wraps up its four-match homestead with its first conference opponent of SMU tomorrow at 12 p.m. followed by Tulane on Sunday, March 28 at 12 p.m.
 
Due to virus mitigation measures and the size of the venue, USF will not allow fans inside the USF Varsity Tennis Courts complex.
 
South Florida is coming off a 5-2 loss to ETSU and a win against Central Arkansas, 4-3, to end its four-match losing streak. USF plans to use the defeat over UCA as momentum heading into conference play on Friday and Sunday. The Bulls hope to get strong performances from Grace Schumacher (Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia) who has four consecutive singles win and leads the team with 10 singles victories, along with Laura Pellicer (Gandia, Valencia, Spain) with five wins and now playing the No. 1 spot.
 
"Playing against of some tough competition in our conference is a reminder of what part of the season we are in," head coach Cristina Moros said. "It's time to perform, plain and simple. We know we need our best efforts to have a chance and I believe our team is ready for that.  Looking forward to some great battles over the next few days."  
 
Scouting SMU
SMU is currently 14-7 and 4-0 in conference play. SMU is coming off a 4-0 sweep over UT Arlington on Tuesday. The Mustangs are led by the No. 68 singles player, Jackie Nylander, who is also ranked No. 30 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association doubles rankings with partner Hadley Doyle. Doyle and Nylander combine for 20 singles win and hold a 9-2 doubles record at the No. 1 spot.
 
The match Friday will be the 11^th meeting between the Bulls and SMU with USF having the 8-2 advantage on the all-time series.
 
Scouting Tulane
The Green Wave are 9-7 and 0-2 in the AAC and on a three-match losing streak. Tulane's last match was on March 20 and suffered a 4-3 lose to No. 27 Rice University.
 
Mackenzie Clark leads Tulane with a 5-2 singles record at the top two spots and 6-5 doubles record at the No. 1 spot with partner M.C. Meredith. This will be the eighth matchup between the two in program history and the Bulls hold a 4-3 advantage in the all-time series.
 
About Women's Tennis
Be sure to follow USF women's tennis on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram) and visit GoUSFBulls.com for the most up-to-date information. Head coach Cristina Moros will be in her sixth year at the helm, as she led the program to an American Athletic Conference Championship in 2017.