Mustangs Draw LSU In First Round NCAA Tournament Matchup
May 2 | Men's Tennis
DALLAS – SMU men's tennis will be making its 24th NCAA tournament appearance on Friday, May 6th as they take on LSU in the first round. The Mustangs will travel to the University of Texas at Austin for their 10:00 a.m. CT matchup. Coach Grant Chen's squad won the AAC title to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships.
After the selection show, Coach Chen stated, "We are excited to have the opportunity to play in May. These student-athletes have worked hard and earned the right to play after winning the conference tournament. LSU has a rich tradition and a terrific coach, and we look forward to an NCAA match with them this weekend."
The 12-seeeded Texas Longhorns are hosting the regional and face off with Idaho in the first round. The winner of this match will face the winner of SMU's match on Saturday, May 7th at 12:00 p.m. CT.
NCAA Championships History
SMU will be making its 24th showing at the NCAA Championships. Their last appearance was in 2017 when they lost in the first round to Mississippi State. The Mustangs last win was in the 2016 round of 32 against Texas Tech, 4-2. They also beat Washington 5-0 in the first round before losing to Florida in the Sweet 16. SMU's best showing was in 1983 when they made it to the title match before losing to Stanford.
AAC Champions
On April 24th, the Mustangs won their first AAC championship since the conference formed ahead of the 2013-14 season. After dropping the doubles point, SMU's entirely American squad came back to defeat the 36th ranked Memphis Tigers 4-2. Sophomore Liam Krall clinched the match, and was named Most Outstanding Player for the AAC Championships.
SMU has now won 10 conference championships in program history, seven in the SWC ('78, '79, '82, '83, '85, '86, '87), two during its time in the WAC (1998, 2002), and one in the AAC (2022). The Mustangs have won their last three conference titles in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
After the selection show, Coach Chen stated, "We are excited to have the opportunity to play in May. These student-athletes have worked hard and earned the right to play after winning the conference tournament. LSU has a rich tradition and a terrific coach, and we look forward to an NCAA match with them this weekend."
The 12-seeeded Texas Longhorns are hosting the regional and face off with Idaho in the first round. The winner of this match will face the winner of SMU's match on Saturday, May 7th at 12:00 p.m. CT.
NCAA Championships History
SMU will be making its 24th showing at the NCAA Championships. Their last appearance was in 2017 when they lost in the first round to Mississippi State. The Mustangs last win was in the 2016 round of 32 against Texas Tech, 4-2. They also beat Washington 5-0 in the first round before losing to Florida in the Sweet 16. SMU's best showing was in 1983 when they made it to the title match before losing to Stanford.
AAC Champions
On April 24th, the Mustangs won their first AAC championship since the conference formed ahead of the 2013-14 season. After dropping the doubles point, SMU's entirely American squad came back to defeat the 36th ranked Memphis Tigers 4-2. Sophomore Liam Krall clinched the match, and was named Most Outstanding Player for the AAC Championships.
SMU has now won 10 conference championships in program history, seven in the SWC ('78, '79, '82, '83, '85, '86, '87), two during its time in the WAC (1998, 2002), and one in the AAC (2022). The Mustangs have won their last three conference titles in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
Sunday, September 20
Saturday, September 19
Thursday, September 17
Thursday, September 17
