Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- aojeda1@utk.edu
The University of Tennessee announced Alison Ojeda as its seventh women's tennis head coach in program history on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016.
Former Tennessee All-American Ojeda rejoined the program as an assistant coach in June 2016. She was hired as head coach following the resignation of Mike Patrick.
"It's an absolute honor to be here," Ojeda said. "It's been my dream job since I played here (1998-2002). Mike has been an incredible mentor and role model for me as a person and a coach. I want to thank him for helping me get to this point today. I am really excited about maintaining his class and integrity in the program. I want to make sure we start focusing on winning some championships. We are in an extremely tough conference, and I am honored to be a part of the SEC. I want to bring in players who are ready to take it to the next level."
After being promoted, Ojeda led the Volunteers to one of their most productive seasons in recent years. Tennessee had its most wins (19) and highest ITA ranking (12th) since 2011. The Big Orange also earned their first berth in the NCAA Championships since 2014, advancing to the second round.
Tennessee opened the spring season on a seven-match winning streak, marking the program's best start since 1990, when it began the year with 10 consecutive victories.
Over the course of the year, Tennessee shut out nine opponents, its most since 2003 and one short of tying the program record of 10. The Volunteers also claimed six top-50 wins on the season, compared to nine over the previous three years combined.
Ojeda played a major role in helping senior Brittany Lindl take her game to the next level and become the top player in the singles lineup, where she had seven ranked wins on the season. Lindl garnered second-team All-SEC honors, the ITA Ohio Valley Region's Most Improved Senior Award and a bid to the NCAA Singles Championships.
Improved on-court performance wasn't the only bright spot for Tennessee women's tennis this season, as Ojeda also emphasized community outreach in the Knoxville area, which earned Tennessee a share of its first-ever national ITA Community Service Award.
One of the most decorated players in program history, Ojeda is one of only four females ever to post more than 100 victories in both singles and doubles during their career on Rocky Top.
A native of San Antonio, Texas, Ojeda spent the previous six years on staff at Baylor, holding the title of associate head coach the past four seasons. At 36-years-old, she already boasts 14 years of full-time Division I coaching experience, including five years as head coach at Middle Tennessee from 2005-10.
"I have been planning to be a head coach since I was a junior in college," Ojeda said. "I had a small injury and talked to Mike then. He knew I wanted to be a head coach at some point down the road. He was unbelievable. He gave the opportunity to coach some of our younger players on the court while I was healing. Every step I have taken from a coaching standpoint has been to help get me here."
Comprehensive excellence has accompanied Ojeda at every phase of her tennis career. As a senior in 2002, she captained Tennessee to its first NCAA semifinal appearance and a No. 6 finish in the year-end team rankings. As a coach, her teams have achieved three NCAA Round of 16 berths (2004, 2011, 2015), a pair of NCAA quarterfinal berths (2011, 2015) and one NCAA semifinal appearance (2011). Her teams also have won five regular-season conference championships and four conference tournament titles--all at the "power five" level. She has developed eight singles All-Americans and five All-American doubles teams.
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has recognized Ojeda's coaching prowess on multiple occasions, as she is a three-time ITA Regional Coach of the Year (2004, 2012, 2015).
In addition to Baylor and Middle Tennessee, Ojeda's other Division I coaching stops include tenures at Texas A&M (assistant coach, 2002-04) and Alabama (assistant coach, 2005). She also founded 254 Tennis Academy in Waco, Texas, in 2014 and has served as tournament director for multiple professional events.
"It's amazing to come back," Ojeda said. "I've loved Tennessee since I was a recruit back in 1998. The opportunity to come back and walk on this campus every day and live in big orange country is just amazing. In 1998, I was in Pat Summitt's locker room and a recruit asked her why she should come to Tennessee. Pat's eyes got huge and she said, `Why wouldn't you come to Tennessee? This is the greatest place in the country. The only reason you wouldn't want to come here is if you didn't want to be the best.' From that moment on, I have absolutely lived and breathed Tennessee. It's a fantastic honor to be back here."
Ojeda lettered at UT from 1998-2002 and remains a fixture on Tennessee's career wins lists. She is currently ranked eighth in singles (102) and doubles (105) victories. She ascended as high as No. 9 in the NCAA singles rankings and No. 4 in the NCAA doubles rankings. A banner bearing her likeness hangs alongside other UT greats inside Tennessee's Goodfriend Tennis Center.
While helping lead Tennessee to one of its most successful periods to date during her career, she also earned accolades playing in the top half of the lineup. She made three singles and two doubles appearances in the NCAA individual championships. She earned singles All-America honors in 2001 and was a two-time All-SEC recipient. As a senior in 2002, she was honored for her leadership in sportsmanship with both the ITA National Cissie B. Leary Award and the Southeast Region Arthur Ashe Jr. Award.
Her other off-the-court collegiate honors include three selections to the Academic All-SEC Team and three SEC Sportsmanship Awards.
As a player on the USTA professional circuit, she captured four tournament doubles titles (all with former UT All-American teammates Tammy Encina and Vilmarie Castellvi).
Ojeda--who was inducted into the National Hispanic Sports Hall of Fame in 2009--graduated from Tennessee in 2002 with a degree in Sport Management and minor in Business Administration.
