The SMU Mustangs women’s tennis team, now ranked No. 23 nationally, is set to open Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play with away matches against Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia. The Mustangs will face Virginia Tech on Friday in Blacksburg and then travel to Charlottesville for a match against No. 16 Virginia on Sunday.
This marks SMU’s return to the top 25 of the ITA rankings for the first time since March 2010. The team enters conference play with a strong start to their season, holding a 6-1 record—its best opening since 2020.
In their most recent outing, SMU defeated UT Arlington with a decisive 7-0 victory, improving their all-time record against the Mavericks to 16-4. The Mustangs are currently riding a four-match winning streak and have secured the doubles point in every match this season.
Upperclassmen McGinley and Stasny remain unbeaten in singles play so far; McGinley is at 5-0 while Stasny holds a perfect 6-0 record this season. In doubles competition, SMU has compiled a 14-2 record overall, with two pairs remaining undefeated in spring matches.
According to the latest ITA rankings released on February 19, sophomore Llewellyn moved up four spots to rank No. 66 in singles for SMU. In doubles, McGinley and Mireles advanced to No. 42 nationally as a pair. This season, SMU has posted wins over three teams ranked within the ITA top 60: Arizona (No. 40), Baylor (No. 42), and Grand Canyon (No. 60).
Their upcoming opponents include Virginia Tech, who enter the weekend with an even record of three wins and three losses after falling twice consecutively; and No.15-ranked Virginia, who hold an eight-win, four-loss record ahead of Sunday’s contest.
Earlier this month in Waco, SMU recorded its first win over Baylor since 1995 by securing a narrow victory decided in the final singles match of the day.
Llewellyn recently made her NCAA Championship debut by advancing to the second round after defeating Texas A&M’s Violeta Martinez before losing to eventual champion Reese Brantmeier.
Head Coach Kelcy McKenna is leading her first season at SMU following several successful years coaching at Wisconsin from 2017 onward. During her tenure there she led significant program improvements—including multiple NCAA Tournament appearances—and helped produce Wisconsin’s first All-American player since 1998 when Maria Sholokhova won the Women’s ITA All-American Singles Championship under her guidance last year.
Coach McKenna brought eight newcomers onto this year’s roster at SMU as she begins her tenure on “the Hilltop.” Llewellyn and McGinley are returning players from last year’s squad.
“### LET THE MCKENNA ERA BEGIN ###
Coach McKenna begins her tenure at SMU after serving as head coach at Wisconsin since 2017.”
###
