Tennis Coaches Making Their Mark

The Texas State tennis program has been firing on all cylinders so far this year. A team with a strong mixture of experience and talented up-and-comers, the Bobcats have their most team wins in nearly a decade. And much of that success starts with the leadership at the top – and in a combination of coaches that started when the head coach and assistant coach worked together as player-coach beginning in 2016.

Kendall Brooks, head tennis coach for the Bobcats, is in her second season leading the program and is already making quite the impact. A true Texan, born and raised in Corpus Christi, she joined the Bobcats in 2020 as the volunteer assistant alongside former head coach of nineteen years, Tori Plunkett. After working as a volunteer, she made her way up the ladder, becoming assistant coach in 2021 before getting promoted to lead the Bobcats beginning with the 2022 season following Plunkett’s retirement. 

Brooks holds many years of coaching experience and is full of expertise and knowledge. The Texan had an excellent playing career herself, where she played at Texas Tech from 2000 to 2004 before immediately jumping into coaching upon graduation where she served as the assistant for the Red Raiders for two years. This marked the beginning of her successful career that includes a seven-year stop at St. Edward’s in Austin (NCAA Division II) and a conference championship in 2019, four conference runner-up finishes, five NCAA tournament appearances, and a South Central Regional championship.

Alongside Brooks, current graduate assistant Beth Hayward is a native of England pursuing a master’s in exercise science. Hayward came to the United States back in 2015 to pursue her tennis career. 

She played tennis for one season at UTEP before transferring to St. Edward’s where she played under Brooks. After graduating in 2019, Hayward returned home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it did not take long for her to realize that the tennis world is where she wanted to stay.  

“I worked other jobs after graduation because I didn't really know what I wanted to do but I just missed tennis a lot, I missed the environment,” said Hayward.

While Hayward was fresh upon graduation and deciding which career path she wanted to take, Brooks already had fifteen years of coaching experience under her belt. Despite the difference in age and experience, their joining of forces is not to be reckoned with. The Bobcats are currently 9-5 and 3-3 in conference play. The Bobcats won eight matches in a row at one point – the team’s longest winning streak in 12 years – and fought for the program’s first ever wins over Coastal Carolina and James Madison. 

A solid relationship between coaches running a team together is vital for success. Part of the recipe for success is coaches being able to see eye to eye and possess the same passion and vision. This is exactly what these two have and it is being reflected by the team already having its most wins in a season since 2016.

The vibe of the team is something that both deem important. 

“Beth and I have the same drive, similar personalities, and the same expectations in terms of what we like to see from players,” said Brooks.

Despite tennis being deemed as an individual sport, in college it is all about the team environment. Being united, invested in one another and playing for something bigger than just yourself is what it is all about and coaches have a huge impact on making this happen. 

Developing the culture that both Brooks and Hayward desire has been easier on them and on the team because of their similarities in both personality and coaching style.

The prior relationship the duo had as player and coach is special and something they both described as “unique.”

Going from playing for Brooks to working alongside her is something Hayward says she always hoped would happen.

“College coaching had always been something I wanted to get into and there was always part of me that knew we were going to end up working together,” said Hayward. “I am very glad we are in the position that we are in.”

Brooks says that knowing how Hayward was as a player helped her see what she would be like as a coach. She describes her as a hard worker, driven and never taking the easy way out.

“I want to have an assistant that is not only a good player but someone who has been through the things that my players are going through,” said Brooks.

Hayward fits this description perfectly.

Jadeh Chan, a senior doubles specialist, is able to speak to this and how much of a positive impact Beth has had on herself and the rest of the team. 

“Having someone who was in our shoes not too long ago is really great for us,” said Chan. “Beth is extremely positive and believes in us day in and day out.”

The current success for the Bobcats is deeper rooted than just having good coaching staff. 

There is an outstanding amount of love and respect between coaches and players, and it reflects so positively on the team.

“Having Beth the last two years has been a blessing,” said Chan. “She is someone we all respect a lot as a player and as a person. We are lucky to have the coaching staff that we have.”

The belief that these two coaches have installed in the team is phenomenal. 

“Everyone on the team is now brought into what we have envisioned for this team,” said Hayward.

Hayward is on track to graduate from Texas State this coming May with the master’s and a concentration in strength and conditioning and sports coaching. 

Her love for coaching has only continued to grow, she has shined so brightly during her short time at Texas State.

“I am excited for the future of this team, and we just want to keep on building,” said Hayward with a smile.