The SMU women’s tennis team, ranked No. 31 nationally, is set to play against No. 42 San Diego State on March 26 and South Florida on March 29, according to a March 25 announcement. The Mustangs will travel to San Diego for Thursday’s match before returning home for Sunday’s contest in Dallas.
These matches are significant as SMU steps out of Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play for these non-conference games. The team recently improved its record to 12-5 overall and sits at ninth place in the ACC standings after defeating Louisville and Notre Dame last weekend.
SMU aims to secure only its second win over San Diego State in seven meetings, while it has won four straight against South Florida from previous encounters when both teams were part of the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs have played more conference matches than any other ACC team this season.
Recent performances include a sweep of Louisville with a decisive doubles victory and strong singles results from Llewellyn and McGinley, who both reached their tenth dual match wins of the season. In addition, the program has earned six ACC weekly honors so far this year, including multiple awards for Van Impe and McGinley as Doubles Team of the Week.
On the national stage, Van Impe made headlines by defeating North Carolina’s top-ranked player earlier this month, which propelled her into the ITA singles rankings at No. 49. As a team, SMU moved up one spot in national rankings following recent successes.
San Diego State enters Thursday’s matchup with an undefeated home record but recently lost on the road to Boise State. Meanwhile, South Florida has struggled with five consecutive losses leading up to their meeting with SMU.
The Mustangs’ roster features eight newcomers under first-year head coach Kelcy McKenna, who previously led Wisconsin through a dramatic turnaround culminating in three straight NCAA Round of 32 appearances and an ITA All-American Singles Championship for Maria Sholokhova last season.
