March 22, 2008

DALLAS (SMU)--The SMU men's tennis team defeated defending Ivy League champion Columbia Saturday, by a count of 6-1. The Mustangs improve to 13-6 on the season, while Columbia slips to 5-4.

The Mustangs won the doubles point easily to start the day. David Kuczer and Darren Walsh started at No. 1, and were up 7-6 over Justin Chow and Bogdan Borta, but the match was called. At No. 2, Alex Skrypko and Adolfo Solares paired for the first time this season and came away with a dominating 8-1 win over Jonathan Wong and Mark Clemente, all but assuring the doubles point. In the third slot, Oivind Alver and Chris Hooshyar met with some resistance from Jared Drucker and Dan Urban, but downed the pair of Lions, 8-5.

Bolstered by strong doubles play, the Mustangs moved into very strong singles action across the lineup. Kuczer defeated Wong at No. 1, 6-3, 7-6, extending his winning streak to five matches. Skrypko took Borta down in dominant fashion, taking a 6-4, 6-0 straight-sets win, extending his streak to six matches. At No. 3, Alver followed with a straight-sets win of his own, beating Clemente, 6-2, 6-3 to snap his three-match skid.

Hooshyar had a battle on his hands at No. 4, facing Drucker in the middle of the lineup. Drucker took the first set, 7-5, but Hooshyar rallied back to take the second, 6-3. In the decisive third set, Hooshyar fought to a 10-5 super tiebreaker win to take the point. Solares didn't have it any easier at No. 5. Fresh off a loss last weekend, Solares faced Chow, winning the first set, 7-6. Chow came back to win the second, 7-5. Solares applied pressure and came out on top, winning the third set in a 10-6 super tiebreaker decision.

Taylor St. Eve gave up the only point to the Lions, dropping his match at No. 6 to Kevin Kung, 6-4, 7-5.

"This was a tough match," said head coach Carl Neufeld. "Columbia is the defending Ivy League champions, which is a very tough tennis conference. We were missing two starters today, and had to shuffle around our doubles line-up, so I was very concerned. But the guys really adapted and I think we're playing our best tennis. I'm excited about the steps we've taken, particularly in doubles the last few weeks. I think our depth is really showing. Now we just need to get everyone healthy and back on the courts. I would say today was all very positive."

The Mustangs are off for a few days before heading to Waco to take on No. 16 Baylor on Thursday, March 27 at 6pm. The Ponies then return home to host Conference USA rival Memphis on Saturday, March 29 at noon. For the complete schedule and results, log on to SMUMustangs.com.

Tennis Match Results
Columbia Lions vs SMU Mustangs
3/22/2008 at Dallas, Texas

#56 SMU Mustangs 6, Columbia Lions 1

Singles competition
1. David Kuczer (SMU) def. Jonathan Wong (COLUMBIA) 6-3, 7-6
2. Alex Skrypko (SMU) def. Bogdan Borta (COLUMBIA) 6-4, 6-0
3. Oivind Alver (SMU) def. Mark Clemente (COLUMBIA) 6-2, 6-3
4. Chris Hooshyar (SMU) def. Jared Drucker (COLUMBIA) 5-7, 6-3, 10-5
5. Adolfo Solares (SMU) def. Justin Chow (COLUMBIA) 7-6, 5-7, 10-6
6. Kevin Kung (COLUMBIA) def. Taylor St. Eve (SMU) 6-4, 7-5

Doubles competition
1. David Kuczer/Darren Walsh (SMU) vs. Justin Chow/Bogdan Borta (COLUMBIA) 7-6, unfinished
2. Alex Skrypko/Adolfo Solares (SMU) def. Jonathan Wong/Mark Clemente (COLUMBIA) 8-1
3. Oivind Alver/Chris Hooshyar (SMU) def. Jared Drucker/Dan Urban (COLUMBIA) 8-5

Match Notes:
Columbia Lions 5-4
SMU Mustangs 13-6; National ranking #56