Taylor Rodgers joins Houston tennis as assistant coach

After spending two seasons at East Carolina, Taylor Rodgers returns to Texas as an assistant coach of Houston tennis, coach Valeriya Zeleva announced on Friday.

“I am incredibly excited to welcome Taylor Rodgers to our coaching staff as our new assistant coach,” Zeleva said. “Taylor brings tremendous experience and a history of success from every program he has been a part of.”

That “success” part rings true on multiple levels.

Before ECU, Rodgers spent a season at Texas A&M, helping the women’s team to a 28-7 overall record and a 12-1 mark in SEC play, en route to capturing the conference regular season championship and finishing runner-up in the conference tournament. The Aggies earned the No. 13 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and went all the way to capture the program’s first national title, besting Georgia in the final.

“Having been part of a national championship team, he understands the standard, preparation and mindset required to compete at the highest level,” Zeleva said.

Before Aggieland, Rodgers spent the 2022-23 campaign as the director of operations at Tennessee, overseeing the day-to-day operations of both the men’s and women’s tennis programs.

“Taylor’s passion for coaching and developing student-athletes is evident in everything he does,” Zeleva said. “Our players will benefit from his experience, leadership and work ethic.”

Rodgers started his career as a volunteer assistant coach and director of operations for the Abilene Christian Wildcats’ men’s and women’s tennis teams. In 2022, the men’s program captured the WAC Tournament Championship and earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

“My family and I are so excited to be headed back to our home state and to be part of the Houston Cougar family,” Rodgers said. “Val’s energy and passion were evident right away, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of her vision for Houston tennis.”