A pleasant surprise.
That’s how Holly Hasler feels as her BYU women’s tennis team rolls into Friday’s first round of the NCAA Tournament to face Stanford in Malibu, California.
“I knew we would be short-handed going into the season with seven players. I have a lineup of freshmen and sophomores, a junior and one fifth-year (senior),” Hasler said. “I thought we had to just get through this season and use it as a rebuilding year.”
Instead, the Cougars (19-8) are having a banner year — their best since 2007.
“It’s fun to see all the hard work pay off at the end of a super tough season,” said Hasler, who took the reins at BYU in 2018. “My goal was to get this team and the tennis program back into national relevance. It takes a lot of years to build a great program.”
After a 17-year drought, Hasler has the Cougars back in the NCAA Tournament for the second time since 2024.
“We are always looking forward to playing tougher teams and beating tougher teams,” Hasler said. “I don’t want to feel content, but I’m proud of the season we’ve had.”
Tourney vibes
As a freshman, Hasler was BYU’s top singles player going into the 1997 NCAA Tournament. A lot has changed since then, except for the vibe of the postseason.
“All the emotions are involved when you get to a big tournament like this. It’s super exciting,” she said. “I told the girls today, there has to be so much gratitude going into this because the stars have really aligned for us this season. I want to go in with assertive confidence but no cockiness.”
The Cougars, prepped by a gritty Big 12 season, collide with the Cardinal (13-10) Friday morning at 11 a.m. MDT. The winner advances to face either Pepperdine or UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.
“Stanford is always a very tough team,” Hasler said. “We are the underdog, but we have every reason to be going in with more confidence than they have with how our season has gone. I feel like we are really ready and super excited.”
Amazing Gracie
The Cougars are led by UCF transfer Gracie Levelston. The 6-foot-1 junior grew up playing tennis in Vero Beach, Florida, which is about as far away from Malibu as you can get and still be in the United States. However, as her 14-4 singles record reflects, no matter where she is playing, Levelston feels very much at home on the court.
“She just brings a lot of leadership and is a great example of being all-in and working hard. The girls look up to her,” said Hasler, whose advice for Levelston is no different from the rest of the team. “At this point in the season, it’s important for the girls to realize it doesn’t matter what the lineup looks like on paper, everybody is beaten up right now. It’s been a long season. Anyone can beat anyone on any given day. The most important thing is to go out there and focus on what we can control and let everything else take its course.”
Advice from someone who has been there before and is eager to make the NCAA Tournament an annual destination for BYU — and less of a surprise.
Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.