No. 36 SMU vs No. 33 Alabama - NCAA First Round

Saturday, May 3 1 p.m. 

Greenwood Tennis Center – Stillwater, Oklahoma

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SETTING THE SCENE

No. 36 SMU plays Alabama at host site Oklahoma State for the NCAA Regional Round on Saturday, May 3 at 1 p.m.

The Mustangs are coming off of earning an automatic NCAA birth following winning their second consecutive American Athletic Conference Championship.

In the AAC Championship Final, the Mustangs swept Memphis, 4-0.

Going into NCAA play, SMU currently holds an overall record of 13-11 and went 5-1 in conference play.

Additionally, the Mustangs won 10 out of 12 home matches this year at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex.

American Athletic Conference Championship and earned an NCAA Tournament berth in 2023.

Six Mustangs - Hadley Doyle, Taylor Johnson, Maja Makoric, Lana Mavor, Drew Morris and Reka Patel ­- return from last season's roster.

SMU went 16-9 overall and 10-1 at home during 2023.

SMU enters its fifth season under the AAC's reigning Coach of the Year, Jeff Nevolo. He has earned the award in back-to-back years beginning in the 2022-23 season.

 

READY TO DANCE

The Mustangs enter their 13th NCAA Tournament Appearance in program history and in back-to-back years.

In the most recent ITA rankings ­- as released on May 2 - SMU came in ranked as a team at No. 36.

In the most recent ITA rankings ­- as released on May 2 - SMU doubles pair Lana Mavor and Taylor Johnson came in ranked at No. 45.

As a result of their ranking and 13 wins on the year, Johnson and Mavor were selected as automatic qualifiers for the 2024 Individual Championships, the NCAA announced on Tuesday evening.

 

AAC POSTSEASON HONORS

SMU women's tennis earned two of the three major American Athletic Conference postseason women's tennis honors, the league announced on Wednesday.

Johnson — hailing to the Hilltop from Prescott, Arizona — went 12-9 in dual matches, finishing out the season on a four-match win streak in singles play and was since awarded the AAC Player of the Year award.

Head coach Jeff Nevolo was given the coveted AAC Coach of the Year accolade.

led SMU, coming in ranked as high as No. 32 by the ITA this year, to its second straight American Athletic Conference Championship and NCAA tournament appearance.

Hadley Doyle and Taylor Johnson were also placed on the coveted All-Conference Team.

Doyle, the 2023 AAC Player of the Year, currently holds a 12-5 singles record going into NCAA play. This record includes one win over a nationally ranked opponent. The Colleyville native also boasts 11 wins in doubles play, partnering with junior Drew Morris.

 

KNOW THE FOES

Alabama is currently 15-10 for the 2023-24 season, most recently falling to South Carolina 4-3 in the second round of the SEC Championships.

The Crimson Tide opened their season with a 4-3 win over Kansas State.

 

SERIES HISTORY

The Mustangs face Alabama for the fifth time in program history.

SMU most recently fell to the Crimson Tide, 4-3, in 2020.

 

SUCCESS UNDER NEVOLO

Jeff Nevolo is coming off of leading the Mustangs to their first AAC Championship, defeating UCF 4-0 in the finals.

The Mustangs were the first team in conference history to win all three tournament matches with 4-0 scores.

Nevolo was named the AAC Coach of the Year and mentored four Mustangs to All-Conference honors.

For his efforts in 2022-23, he earned the AAC Coach of the Year title for the second consecutive time.

Also in this years' AAC Postseason Conference Honors, he mentored two to be placed on the All-Conference team and Johnson to be named the esteemed Player of the Year.

FALL BALL

SMU competed in six fall events, posting a total of 60 wins across singles and doubles play.

The Mustangs capped off the fall season by traveling to the Texas A&M Invitational to compete against some of the top ranked players in the country.

  IN THE RANKINGS

SMU has been mentioned in the International Tennis Association's (ITA) rankings ten times so far this season.

As a team, the Mustangs come in currently ranked No. 36.

Doubles pair Taylor Johnson and Lana Mavor are currently the No. 45 ranked pair in the country.

 

HAD ENOUGH YET?

Doyle was most recently placed on the AAC All-Conference team in the postseason awards, as announced on Wednesday.

She defeated No. 75 Valeria Ray in singles play in SMU's home opener against No. 17 Vanderbilt.

Prior to fall play this year, Doyle was listed on the ITA Division I Top 125 Preseason National Singles rankings, coming in at No. 63.

Doyle currently holds a 12-5 overall record, including one win over a nationally ranked opponent.

She is a four-time All-AAC selection and was selected as the AAC Player of the Week three times in 2023.

During her senior season, Doyle earned a team best 28-8 overall record.

Doyle went undefeated in the 2023 AAC Championship, finishing 2-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles.

LOOK WHAT YOU MADE ME DO

As announced on Wednesday, Taylor Johnson is the reigning AAC Player od the Year and is also an All-Conference selection.

During SMU's most recent fall slate, graduate student Taylor Johnson defeated then-No. 39 Ozlem Uslu of Virginia Tech.

Johnson currently boats a 16-11 overall record, including one win over a nationally ranked opponent.

For the 2022-23 year - her debut season as a Mustang - Johnson posted a 23-8 overall singles record and a 13-4 dual match recorded.

She ended last season on a 10-match win streak including a straight set victory in the NCAA first round match up against Baylor.

Johnson was an ITA Indoors All-Tournament selection (doubles No. 3 - 2021)

As of March 19, Taylor and doubles partner Lana Mavor have been ranked as No. 38 in the doubles rankings for ITA.

WANT SOME MORR-IS?

Against No. 17 Vanderbilt on Jan. 21, the junior decided the match with her three set thriller against No. 24 Bridget Stammel.

She won the first set 7-5 and the third 7-6.

As a result of her win, she earned AAC Player of the Week honors, as announced by the league on Tuesday.

She is coming off of a 2023 in which she was placed on the AAC All-Conference Team and was a two-time AAC Player of the Week.

During the Feb. 7 rankings, Morris was ranked No. 109 in the ITA singles rankings.

During the March 5 rankings, she was ranked No. 118.

Morris is currently 16-15 on the season with one win over a nationally ranked opponent.

In her sophomore season Morris earned a team high 15 dual match wins and held a 28-9 overall singles record.

At this fall's ITA Texas Regional, Morris won every match she competed in.

Her mother, Tammy Christensen, played for SMU women's tennis from 1984-1988.

FRESH FACES

SMU added two freshman - Caroline McGinley and Millie Skelton ­- as the Mustangs announced their signing class in July.

McGinley, hailing to the Hilltop from New Jersey, was the No. 2 ranked player in all of her home state and was ranked in the national top 50 of 2023 recruits.

Against Duke, McGinley defeated then-No. 78 Karolina Berankova in two sets.

Great Britain native Millie Skelton is the other remaining new face on the Mustangs' roster.

Skelton held a junior ITF ranking of 536 with a career-high ranking of 271.

FRESHMAN CLINCHERS

Against Wichita State, LSU and TAMUCC, McGinley secured the Mustangs' s win by earning the final point of the matches.

She defeated LSU's Kenna Ericksonin three sets (6-2, 5-7, 6-4), Wichita State's Giorgia Roselli, (7-6, 6-4) and the Islanders' Victorie Delattre (6-0, 4-6, 6-1).

Overall, the freshman and New Jersey native is 13-14 on the season and 1-1 against nationally ranked opponents.

Millie Skelton has also clinched for the Mustangs, winning the match for SMU against UTSA in the AAC Championship.

Skelton is currently 7-14 on the year so far.

 

MORE FROM MAVOR

Graduate student Lana Mavor is coming off of a senior season in which she boasted a 26-7 overall singles record.

As of March 19, Lana and doubles partner Taylor Johnson have been ranked as No. 38 in the doubles rankings for ITA.

Most recently against  TCU, Mavor swept Yu-Chin Tsai in singles play ­(6-2, 6-0).

Mavor currently holds a 17-6 singles record and has faced off against one ranked opponent.

 

2022-23 RECAP

The Mustangs won their first AAC Championship in 2023 and competed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

SMU earned a 16-9 overall record and defeated each of their conference opponents.

The Mustangs recorded 11 total sweeps and seven ranked wins. SMU finished No. 32 in the final ITA poll.

In recognition of their success, Jeff Nevolo was named the AAC Coach of the Year and Hadley Doyle was named the AAC Player of the Year, as well as Doyle, Taylor Johnson and Drew Morris who were awarded four combined All-Conference honors.

 

ALL AROUND THE WORLD

Taylor Johnson traveled to Chenjdu, China to compete in the 2023 World University Games.

Johnson (6-0, 6-0) later advanced to the third round of play for her final round of competition.

"It was such an amazing experience to represent Team USA on such a big stage," said Johnson. "Competing for your country is one of the most special things you can do as an athlete, and I will forever cherish these moments."

 

DALLAS OPEN

On Saturday, Feb. 3 Taylor Johnson and Drew Morris participating in the Dallas Open's Women's Tennis Classic with professionals Genie Bouchard and Caroline Wozniacki.

Morris paired with Wozniacki and Johnson teamed up with Bouchard in front of an eager crowd.

Johnson and Bouchard won the match, 7-5.

 

UP NEXT

Should the Mustangs defeat Alabama, they will face off against the winner of Fairlfield and Oklahoma State's match on Sunday at 2 p.m.