Last season, the Southwestern University Pirates men's tennis team achieved the highest national ranking in program history, rising to No. 28 in the Intercollegiate Collegiate Association (ITA) poll. 

And yet for all the success the Pirates found, there was a feeling they had yet to tap the full reservoir of their talent. 

The Pirates have gathered top 20 recruiting classes, have a dutiful senior All-American at the No. 1 spot in Alexis Dimanche, the returning SCAC Newcomer of the Year in Hunter Bajoit, and a number of individual wins against nationally and regionally ranked players. 

What they need is a catalyst to bring it all together in a meaningful way. 

"Physically, we can play with almost anyone," Head Coach Billy Porter said. "We have the capability, what we need is the consistency. Can we do it more often than not?"  

This year, the Pirates have the perfect opportunity to spark their season from the outset, hosting the ITA Southwest Regional Championships this week from Sept. 26-29. For a team Porter described as struggling with the little things, competing at this level with the comfort of routine and the familiarity of home court throws a lot of distractions aside. 

"Last year was an interesting ITA because we had four make the quarterfinals after never having more than two," Porter said. "That's a big jump for our program but we kind of faltered in that round. 

"So, getting deep into Day 2 is going to be a huge goal. We don't want it to be just one year where we had a big ITA. I think consistency of getting four or five guys to the Round of 16 is what we're looking for on the singles side."

Leading the way is Dimanche, who ended last year ranked No. 48 in Division III tennis and whose list of accomplishments includes All-SCAC honors in all three of his seasons, the SCAC Newcomer of the Year in 2017, SCAC Player of the Year in 2018, and All-American status . One of the few things missing from his individual resume is an ITA Championship. Dimanche made it to semifinals as a first year but has yet to advance past that in each of his three attempts. 

"Alexis is going to be one of the favorites at the tournament," Porter said. "There's a little disappointment there but he's work through that and it has him motivated to make the Finals or even win this thing." 

Beyond Dimanche, the Pirates have plenty of depth, returning 11 of the 12 players from last year's team with All-SCAC returnees Bajoit and Alexander Joseph, who combined to go 27-6 in singles last year. 

Bajoit ended his first season ranked 25th in the West Region, compiling an 18-4 record at the No. 2 spot in singles and going 14-9 at the No. 1 spot in doubles. Joseph went 13-3 in the No. 3 spot in singles and 14-4 in doubles, including 13-3 from the No. 2 position. Dean Dulthummon went 11-4 from the No. 4 spot, giving the Pirates consistency through most of their singles lineup. 

Beyond that, the Pirates added two solid newcomers in first year Steven Tibbetts and transfer Hemanshu Rambojun, joining a cast of solid players. 

"[Senior] Jeremy Wilson has taken a big step leadership-wise, being named co-captain, which is big for him," Porter said. "And Vesko Lekovic had a good summer at the ITAs, showing flashes of excellence from where he was last year. He's someone we're cautiously optimistic about since he was in and out of the lineup last year." 

Pick a name from the Pirate roster out of the hat and you're likely to draw a talented player. Add another and ask them to play together on the court is where the Pirates have struggled with the current core. 

"Not doing the little things right and doubles have haunted this team," Porter said. "The problem we have is when you go down in doubles, it puts a lot of pressure on the singles lineup."

Bajoit and Rambojun have played well as a new pairing this fall and Joseph and Dulthummon were strong through the first half of last season while Tashawn has been the Pirates' second-best doubles player so far this fall. 

"On the double side, we have to get guys into Day 2 if we're going to compete this year at the national level," Porter said. "It's our home court and people are going to be gunning for us. 

"With so many seniors, it's going to be their last chance. If we can learn to deal with all the external factors that can get in your head, we'll be fine."