ORLANDO, Fla. – Top-seeded SMU won its first American Athletic Conference Women's Tennis Championship capping the most dominant performance in the tournament's nine-year history with a 4-0 win against No. 2-seeded UCF Saturday afternoon at the USTA National Campus.
 
The Mustangs, who earned The American's automatic bid to the NCAA Championship, became the first team in tournament history to win all of its singles matches in straight sets without dropping a doubles set in the tournament. SMU won all three of its matches by 4-0 scores, winning all 12 singles contests in straight sets and going 6-0 in doubles during the week. The Mustangs became only the second team in tournament history to not allow a team point in the tournament, joining UCF's 2019 championship team.
 
SMU's Taylor Johnson was chosen as the tournament's Most Outstanding Performer after she closed out a 5-0 combined record in the Mustangs' three matches with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles and a 6-0 victory at No. 2 doubles. Johnson went 2-0 in singles matches and 3-0 in doubles during SMU's three contests and was the first to finish in singles in the Mustangs' semifinal and final victories.
 
Johnson and Drew Morris completed their singles matches almost simultaneously to put SMU ahead 3-0 after the Mustangs made quick work of the doubles round. Johnson and Morris both won their singles matches 6-1, 6-2.
 
UCF had claimed first sets at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, but the Mustangs proved too strong higher up in the ladder as Jackie Nylander won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 4 to clinch it.
 
SMU (16-8) was ranked No. 35 in the April 18 ITA ranking, while UCF (11-11) was ranked No. 37. The Knights, whose schedule included 16 nationally ranked teams in 22 matches, and who played The American Championship without two of its top six singles performers, will await the May 1 NCAA Championship selection announcement to learn of its postseason fate.