It would have been easy for Nicole Petchey and her teammates on the SMU women's tennis team to not pay attention or care. Any time a coaching change occurs during a student-athlete's playing career, it can be difficult to accept a new staff.

Three years ago, Petchey, then a sophomore, and her teammates decided to listen to what coach Jeff Nevolo was saying. Once Nevolo made his pitch, it was easy for the Mustangs to commit to what he was offering.

"We have worked tirelessly to define what it means to be a member of this team, and I was able to fully buy into the process as we were allowed to have our say in what we think we should be as a program," Petchey said. "We have extremely open communication with both coaches and teammates and it has worked to improve not only our results on paper, but also the entire culture that SMU women's tennis stands for."

Nevolo's vision for what the program could be resonated with the players he inherited. He knew it would take time to get the Mustangs back among the American Athletic Conference's best teams, but he believed the potential was there if they stuck to his plan.

Sometimes, it's good when things don't go according to plan.

SMU (13-8) enters the 2022 AAC Tournament as a No. 2 overall seed, earning a first-round bye. The tournament is being held at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa and SMU will get the winner of No. 10 Wichita State (8-12) and No. 7 Cincinnati (15-6) in the quarterfinals at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

Even Nevolo admits SMU is slightly ahead of his anticipated schedule. Last year, the team made a late season push to clear the 20-win mark for the first time since 2011. It was just the sixth time in school history the team earned 20 wins.

Unfortunately, that success didn't translate to an NCAA Tournament bid then. But it did set the stage for this year's efforts.

Of the 21 different opponents SMU has faced this spring, 14 are ranked in the ITA top 75. SMU has picked up seven wins against those top 75 opponents and currently sits No. 43 in the standings as of April 13.

While it wasn't a victory, the most telling match of the season occurred on April 8 when SMU hosted conference front-runner and top 20 UCF. Last year, the Golden Knights easily pulled away for a 4-1 victory. A year later, the Mustangs had an opportunity to secure the win but fell just short in a tiebreak on the final court, falling 4-3.

 "While we always want to kick the door down, sometimes it takes a few kicks," said head coach Jeff Nevolo. "But I don't think a year ago we thought we would ever be in a situation where we were against Central Florida last Friday. Last year, we played them and we didn't have any sort of chance of winning. This year, it's a good step in the right direction."

With a quality résumé, SMU is certainly in the conversation for a postseason bid, its first since 2011. Success in the AAC Tournament would certainly go a long way to helping solidify that. One thing is certain – the Mustangs have bought in and it's put them in line for a very special finish.

"Our mindset has been the same since the very beginning of this season," said senior Katherine Jakeway. "Our goal is to win conference. We believe we have limitless potential and we work to play like that every time we set foot on court. We truly believe that there's nothing we can't accomplish."

"An NCAA bid would be huge this year," Jakeway said. "This team has worked so hard and is worthy of that opportunity. We have made an extraordinary commitment to this program and each other, and we want to have the chance to keep that rolling and achieve everything we can imagine and more through the rest of this season."