Why not play them and prove you're the best in Tennessee? Or take on a top notch out of state program and represent Tennessee. I think they would do well in both cases fwiw, but they refuse to do it.
Yet Maryville never plays teams like these or even the best teams in TN (Ensworth, BA, MBA etc). Maryville is without a doubt the best public school program in TN, but they never challenge themselves and are fine with the status quo. And THAT'S okay.