No. 23 SMU women’s tennis drops its first ACC match, falling 4-1 at No. 15 Virginia despite ranked wins from Amelie Van Impe.
SMU women’s tennis finally met resistance in ACC play — and it came against one of the nation’s toughest programs.
The No. 23 Mustangs saw their five-match winning streak snapped Sunday in a 4-1 road loss to No. 15 Virginia in Charlottesville.
SMU (7-2, 1-1 ACC) battled, but the Cavaliers controlled the key moments to hand the Mustangs their first conference defeat of the spring.
SMU entered the afternoon undefeated when claiming the doubles point this season, but Virginia flipped that script.
After dropping a 6-3 decision on court three, the Mustangs responded in a big way. Amelie Van Impe and Caroline McGinley knocked off the nation’s No. 3-ranked duo of Melodie Collard and Vivian Yang, 6-4, on court one - a statement win against elite competition.
Still, the Cavaliers secured the doubles point with a tight 7-5 victory on court two.
In singles, Virginia extended its advantage quickly with straight-set wins on courts two and four.
Van Impe again delivered for SMU, earning a ranked triumph over No. 56 Vivian Yang, 6-4, 6-2, on court one to put the Mustangs on the board.
Caroline McGinley and Natalie Stasny were locked in competitive three-set battles before play was halted, but Virginia clinched the match on court six when Blanca Pico Navarro defeated Addison Comiskey in three sets.
Despite the final score, SMU showed it can compete with top-15 competition. Taking down multiple ranked players on the road signals growth for a program adjusting to life in the ACC.
The Mustangs now return to Dallas for a massive weekend at the Styslinger/Altec Tennis Complex, hosting No. 19 Duke on Friday and No. 3 North Carolina on Sunday.
The margin for error is slim in this league ... and the tests only get tougher.