Kendall Brooks enters her sixth season as head coach for the St. Edward’s University women’s tennis team. In 2018, Brooks brought the Hilltoppers to their highest national ranking in school history at #17 and was named the Wilson ITA South Central Coach of the year. They would finish their 22-6 record-breaking season as Heartland Conference runner-up, earning their 3rd NCAA Tournament berth, and close the year ranked 22nd in the country.
The 2016 squad featured four All-Heartland Conference players and the South Central Region Rookie of the Year. This improves on a 2015 season that saw the Hilltoppers head back to the NCAA Regional Tournament for the first time since the 2012 season. They would finish as Heartland Conference runner-up and a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Regional. In 2014, Brooks led the Hilltoppers to a spot in the Heartland Conference Tournament Semifinals, featuring a doubles team ranked 19th in the nation.
Brooks came to St. Edward’s after serving as the director of Junior Development and academy coach at the Austin Tennis Academy for seven years. While at the Austin Tennis Academy, Brooks was the coordinator for the junior tennis team and the director of all women’s programs. As the junior coach, she led the 18-and-under team to national titles in 2009, 2011 and 2012. She led the 14-and-under team to a national championship in 2012. During this time, Brooks was named the Capitol Area Tennis Association Pro of the Year in 2010, as well as the United States Tennis Professional Association’s Texas Section Touring and National Touring Coach of the Year in 2011. Brooks was the Team Texas coach for the United States Tennis Association Boys’ and Girls’ 14 Zone Team Championships in 2012 and 2013.
Before the Austin Tennis Academy, Brooks served as assistant coach for Texas Tech during the 2004–2005 and 2005–2006 seasons. The Red Raiders were nationally ranked in both seasons and finished with a combined 24-21 record.
Brooks was a four-year letterwinner for Texas Tech, where she compiled a career singles record of 61-58 and a doubles mark of 41-17, playing primarily at the number two and one positions, respectively, for the Red Raiders. Brooks still holds the school’s career record for winning percentage in doubles play. Her sophomore season, she was the Big XII Conference winner at her positions in both singles and doubles. She was named preseason All-Big XII before her junior season and was team captain her junior and senior seasons. Brooks graduated from Texas Tech in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in Exercise and Sports Science, with a minor in English and Spanish. She is a Corpus Christi native.
