#30 SMU (7-2, 1-1 ACC) vs. #20 Duke (8-2, 2-0 ACC)
Friday, Feb. 27 • 5 p.m. CT
Dallas, Texas • Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex
Watch • Live Scores • SMU Mobile App
#30 SMU (7-2, 1-1 ACC) vs. #3 North Carolina (13-1, 2-0 ACC)
Sunday, March 1 • 12 p.m. CT
Dallas, Texas • Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex
Watch • Live Scores • SMU Mobile App
SETTING THE SCENE
• The No. 30-ranked SMU women's tennis team is set to host two top 20 teams this weekend in No. 20 Duke on Friday and No. 3 North Carolina on Sunday.
• The Mustangs went 1-1 in the opening weekend of ACC play, defeating Virginia Tech 4-1 last Friday before falling to No. 15 Virginia 4-1 on Sunday.
• SMU enters the weekend 7-2 on the season and a perfect 4-0 at home.
• A win over No. 20 Duke would be the highest ranked win since the Mustangs defeated No. 17 Vanderbilt in 2023.
ACC WEEKLY HONORS
• Amelie Van Impe has been tabbed ACC Co-Freshman of the Week, while Caroline McGinley and Van Impe have been named ACC Co-Doubles Team of the Week, it was announced by the conference on Tuesday.
• The Wichelen, Belgium native Van Impe, had a standout weekend for the Mustangs, going 2-0 in doubles and 1-0 in singles on court one. Against No. 15 Virginia, Van Impe claimed her first ranked singles win of the season, defeating No. 56 Vivian Yang 6-4, 6-2 on Sunday. Van Impe improved to 4-1 in the spring and 3-0 on court one.
• In a 4-1 victory over Virginia Tech on Friday, Van Impe and McGinley clinched the doubles point for SMU by winning 6-2 over the Hokies' court one doubles pair. The tandem followed that up with a 6-4 victory over Virginia's court one doubles team, who is the No. 3-ranked team in the ITA, Melodie Collard and Vivian Yang.
• With the two wins, Van Impe and McGinley are now 6-0 in the spring, 2-0 against ranked doubles teams.
UNBEATEN STANGS
• The two upperclassmen on the roster, Caroline McGinley and Natalie Stasny, are both unbeaten in singles play. The juniors are 6-0 in singles matches this season. McGinley in the spring is a perfect 9-0 in doubles.
• SMU is 18-4 in doubles matches this season. Caroline McGinley and Amelie Van Impe are 6-0 together on court one. SMU as a team is 8-1 in doubles points this season.
ITA RANKINGS
• In the latest singles and doubles ITA rankings that were released on Feb. 19, the sophomore Sophie Llewellyn moved up to No. 66 in singles.
• In doubles, McGinley and Mireles rank No. 42.
THE OPPONENTS
• Duke enters the weekend 8-2 overall and 2-0 in ACC play. The Blue Devils beat Boston College and Syracuse a combined 9-0 to open conference action.
• The Blue Devils have four ranked singles players in the ITA, led by No. 22 Irina Balus. In doubles, Duke has three pairs ranked inside the top 40.
• North Carolina brings a 13-1 overall record and a 2-0 ACC record into the weekend. The Tar Heels have won five straight, including a pair of 4-0 victories over Boston College and Syracuse.
• North Carolina has six singles players ranked by the ITA, including the No. 1-ranked player, Reese Brantmeier. In doubles, the Tar Heels have four different pairs ranked by the ITA.
HISTORIC WIN IN WACO
• On Feb. 1, SMU collected a 4-3 win over Baylor in Waco. It marked the first win over the Bears since 1995.
• Gina Feistel clinched the winner-take-all final match of the day on court one with a 7-6(3), 0-6, 7-6(4) win over No. 40 Na Dong of Baylor.
• SMU won the doubles point for the fifth time this season and got two wins from courts five and six from Caroline McGinley and Natalie Stasny to help secure the victory.
LLEWELLYN ADVANCES IN NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
• In her NCAA Championship debut, Llewellyn advanced to the second round of the tournament by defeating Texas A&M's Violeta Martinez 4-6, 6-2, 6-1, before falling to eventual champion Reese Brantmeier in three sets in her next matchup.
• Llewellyn punched her ticket to the NCAA Singles Championships in November after reaching the semifinal round of the ITA Sectional Championships on Saturday.
• Llewellyn became the first Mustang to qualify for the NCAA Individual Championships since Marta Lesniak did so in 2011.
• Llewellyn finished the fall season with a 10-4 record.
NEW LOOK MUSTANGS
• Coach McKenna and staff brought eight newcomers to the 2026 roster, including four true freshmen and one transfer ahead of her first season on the Hilltop.
• Llewellyn and McGinley are the only two returners to the program from the previous season.
LET THE MCKENNA ERA BEGIN
• Coach McKenna begins her tenure at SMU after serving as the head coach at Wisconsin since 2017.
• McKenna's tenure at Wisconsin was defined by a dramatic program turnaround. When she arrived in the fall of 2016, the Badgers were coming off a 4-16 season and a winless Big Ten campaign. In her second year, Wisconsin began to show progress, and by her third season in 2018-19, the team posted an 18-6 record, finished second in the Big Ten at 9-2, and earned its first NCAA Tournament berth since 2005.
• By 2023, the Badgers had achieved one of the best seasons in school history: 20 victories (first in 25 years), a No. 11 national ranking at their peak (highest since 1996), and a season-ending No. 22 ITA ranking, along with the program's first NCAA Tournament win since 2002. Under McKenna's leadership, Wisconsin evolved from the bottom of the Big Ten into a nationally respected contender, consistently competing against and defeating top 25 programs.
• Over the last three seasons, McKenna has led the Badgers to a record of 58-21, including three straight NCAA Round of 32 appearances. Last season, McKenna coached Maria Sholokhova to a 2024 Women's ITA All-American Singles Championship, becoming the program's first All-American since 1998 in 2025.
• McKenna and Sholokhova became the first coach-player duo, men's or women's, to both win the ITA All-American Singles Championship.
