Mustangs Set to Host Pair of Ranked Teams

Thursday, March 16

San Luis Obispo, CA

2 P.M.

Harvard

Photo by: Owen Main | Cal Poly Athletics

Mustangs Set to Host Pair of Ranked Teams

3/15/2023 12:15:00 PM | Women's Tennis

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women's tennis will look to extend its winning streak when the program welcomes a pair of ranked teams to the Mustang Tennis Complex this week.

The Mustangs host Harvard, ranked No. 65 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, at 2 p.m. Thursday and No. 54 BYU at 11 a.m. Saturday to cap off a three-match homestand. Live stats will be available for both matches and links can be found on the women's tennis schedule page on GoPoly.com.

A 5-2 win over UC San Diego on Sunday at the San Luis Obispo Country Club allowed Cal Poly (5-5) to secure its fourth straight victory. The triumph also helped the Mustangs improve to 3-1 in conference play as the team currently sits in fourth in the Big West standings.

A big part of Cal Poly's recent success can be attributed to their play in singles. Over the last three duals, the Mustangs have only dropped three singles matches. Delanie Dunkle has led the way by winning five consecutive matches, including a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins.

Kim Bhunu and Kennedy Buntrock (pictured above) are also on fire in singles play. Bhunu has won four straight at the No. 1 spot for the Mustangs and is still undefeated (4-0) in Big West matches. Buntrock is on a three-match winning streak at the No. 6 spot.

Since teaming up for the first time in a home match against CSUN on Feb. 18, Bhunu and Buntrock have proven to be a pretty formidable doubles pair, posting a 4-2 record. Melissa LaMette and Alexandra Ozerets also debuted as a pairing in that dual at the No. 3 spot and have been rolling ever since. They own Cal Poly's best doubles record this season (4-1) and are a perfect 3-0 in Big West play.

Ozerets, a freshman, is 7-2 in singles this season while playing primarily at the No. 5 spot.

No. 65 Harvard (7-6) is fresh off a 4-3 home defeat to No. 43 Denver on Saturday that ended a three-match winning streak. The Crimson had a match at Loyola Marymount on Tuesday canceled due to rain.

Cal Poly and Harvard share one common opponent so far this season — Long Beach State. The Mustangs rolled past the Beach 6-1 on the road on March 4, while the Crimson defeated LBSU 5-1 on Feb. 24 in Cambridge, Mass.

The Crimson are led by Charlotte Owensby, ranked No. 82 in the nation in the latest ITA singles rankings, who has won three out of her last four singles matches.

Thursday will mark the first meeting all-time between the Mustangs and Harvard.

BYU (7-3) entered the ITA rankings for the first time this season after taking down No. 44 Utah 4-0 on Saturday in Provo. The Cougars like the Mustangs are in the midst of a four-match winning streak, with their only losses coming at the hands of Colorado State, currently No. 43 in the nation, Colorado and LMU.

BYU is on a California road trip which will see them play three matches in four days, starting Wednesday at Fresno State. The Cougars will battle Harvard in a neutral-site match at the Mustang Tennis Complex at 2:30 p.m. Friday prior to facing Cal Poly on Saturday.

Cal Poly rolled past BYU 6-1 on Feb. 6, 2021, at the Mustang Tennis Complex in the first meeting all-time between the two schools.

During Saturday's match against the Cougars, Cal Poly will be wearing pink to honor Pam Boyden, the mom of former Mustang tennis player Susanne Boyden. Pam passed away in November after a courageous decade-long battle with two forms of breast cancer.

While Susanne played for the Mustangs, the team wore pink on several occasions to show support for Pam during her fight against cancer.

"The team wearing pink in honor and support of my mom means the world to me," Susanne said. "Not only was this statement impactful during my time at Cal Poly, but the fact the program continues to honor this tradition is incredible. Raising awareness for breast cancer is so important, and it touches me to know the program will always stand behind the cause and behind me. I'm lucky to have built lifelong relationships with people from this program, and the unwavering support from everyone speaks volumes."

Fans are encouraged to wear pink to Saturday's match as well to show their support and raise awareness.

Following this week's matches, Cal Poly takes a brief break for finals week before returning to action on Tuesday, March 28, for a dual at Hawai'i Pacific in Honolulu.