DALLAS (SMU) – This is the moment Lana Mavor was searching for.
On April 21, the SMU women's tennis team celebrated the program's second straight American Athletic Conference Tournament championship, taking down Memphis in a 4-0 decision to clinch another appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
Three years ago when she transferred from N.C. State, this scenario would have been hard to imagine for many outsiders looking in. But it's exactly what Mavor and her teammates envisioned from the start.
"It's just been fun to come in knowing that you're the one helping to change the program with this group of girls," Mavor said. "You're making history, but you're also building it and setting up a good program for the people that follow."
As the Mustangs (13-11) prepare for their NCAA team tournament opener against Alabama (15-10) on Saturday in Stillwater, Okla., the future is a much-discussed topic. At the conclusion of the 2023-24 academic year, SMU athletics will transition from competing in the AAC to the Atlantic Coast Conference, raising the stakes to a higher level. The ACC has nine programs in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. SMU is the lone representative from the AAC in the field of 64.
Additionally, SMU also got the dual team of Mavor and AAC Player of the Year Taylor Johnson into the doubles bracket of the NCAA Individual Championships. By comparison, the ACC had nine doubles teams make the field of 32 pairs. Competition for the Individual Championship will take place May 20-25 in Stillwater, Okla., following the conclusion of the team championship.
Getting prepared to compete against stronger competition has been the mantra since coach Jeff Nevolo took over the program prior to the start of the 2019-20 season, long before the decision to move to the ACC became reality.
Prior to his arrival, SMU has been playing tennis since 1973. The program had 11 previous appearances in the NCAA Tournament, the last coming in 2011. Additionally, the Mustangs had one conference tournament title to their credit, winning Conference USA back in 2009.
Nevolo's pitch to recruits and transfers was simple – he was going to schedule tough and build a culture focused on competing for an NCAA at-large bid without the need of a conference championship. The back-to-back AAC Coach of the Year the last two years quickly found players willing to embrace that challenge.
"Growing up in Dallas, SMU is such a great school – it always was confusing to me why they weren't a top 25 program," said graduate student Hadley Doyle, an All-AAC selection this season. She transferred in after spending her freshman season at Tennessee. "I knew that there was potential there and really I just wanted to take a chance on it and be able to take the program and flip it. And really I think that's a really rewarding thing that I've got from this whole experience is making a name for this program and hopefully continuing that legacy."
Much of that vision Nevolo pitched to those bedrock recruits has come to fruition. SMU enters the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 36 in the most recent edition of the ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, just four spots behind their opponent, No. 32 Alabama.
Beating stronger competition, winning championships and finding a foothold in the rankings are all important building blocks. The next step is winning in the postseason. SMU hasn't won an NCAA match since 2011, advancing to the round of 16 that season.
A win against the Crimson Tide wouldn't put a trophy in the case or even be considered a major upset based on rankings. But it would be a sign that the trajectory is headed where the Mustangs intended it to go. And for players like junior Drew Morris, the goal is to make sure that rise is far from over.
"I think something we've all unlocked as a team is just that every day is a new day. We all say, 'The count is zero.' We just try to make it fun and have fun with each other and with that comes success," Morris said. "We try not to be too hard on ourselves and just know that we've put in the work and we know how to compete and just to trust ourselves. That's just something to focus on as we continue to move forward."
