University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Tendero-Ortiz Named Women's Tennis Assistant Coach
8/15/2023 10:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
She joins Louisiana with previous experience coaching in the Sun Belt Conference
LAFAYETTE – The Louisiana women's tennis head coach Stephanie Vallejos has announced the hiring of assistant coach Elena Tendero-Ortiz on Tuesday, August 15. A junior college national champion, Tendero-Ortiz comes from the Savannah College of Art and Design where she was the assistant coach for the men's and women's programs for one season.
With the Bees, she helped coach the women to a top-10 national ranking at the NAIA level and the team reached the national tournament. While coaching the men she helped them reach the Sun Conference semifinals despite a difficult schedule.
"I'm excited to work alongside Elena," said Vallejos. "Her experience, energy level, and competitive drive will have an immediate impact and be a great addition to our team."
Before her time at SCAD, Tendero-Ortiz spent two seasons at Sun Belt Conference opponent Georgia Southern. In her first season as a volunteer assistant, Tendero-Ortiz helped the Eagles to a 19-9 season capped off with the first Sun Belt Conference Championship and NCAA Women's Tournament appearance in program history. They'd follow that in 2022 with a 12-win season, the fifth in a row for the Eagle's women's tennis program.
Before her coaching career, she played at Jacksonville State University for two seasons, leading the Gamecocks to the highest ranking in program history. She also spent two seasons at Tyler Junior College where they won the 2017 NJCAA National Championship after reaching the finals in 2016.
A native of Alicante, Spain, Tendero-Ortiz came to the United States to pursue her education in 2016. She earned her associate's degree in biology in 2017 from Tyler JC, her bachelor's degree in exercise science and wellness from Jacksonville State in 2020, and earned her master's degree in sports medicine from Georgia Southern.
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