Georgia State men’s tennis head coach Jonathan Wolff has announced the addition of Matt Williams to the Panthers’ coaching staff on Aug. 2, 2019. Williams joins GSU after spending the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach for the University of Delaware’s women’s tennis team.
In his first season as an assistant at Georgia State, Williams helped coach the Panthers to four wins in their final six matches before the remainder of the season was canceled due to the outbreak of COVID-19. He helped GSU finish with a No. 68 team ranking in the national Oracle/ITA poll, the highest among all other teams in the league. Under the direction of Williams and head coach Jonathan Wolff, doubles tandem Andrei Duarte and Roberts Grinvalds were ranked No. 28 in the March 3rd Oracle/ITA national rankings, the second-highest doubles ranking in school history.
During his time with Delaware, Williams served as the lead recruiter and signed the highest ranked recruit in school history. He also coached a 2019 Ann Lebedeff Leadership Award Finalist and helped the Blue Hens earn ITA All-Academic Team honors.
Prior to Williams’ coaching days at Delaware, he worked with the women’s tennis team at the University of Georgia in various roles, including volunteer coach and interim assistant coach from 2014-18. Every year Williams was with the Bulldogs, the team earned a ranking as high as No. 2. He also helped the 2015 UGA team become finalists in the ITA National Team Indoor Championship and make an appearance in the NCAA Women’s Tennis Final Four.
Williams began his coaching career at Southern Wesleyan University in Central, S.C., in 2014, where he coached a NCCAA All-American and SSAC All-Conference Team member. He graduated from Mercer University in 2012 with a B.S. in Chemistry and earned his Master’s in Kinesiology from the University of Georgia in 2016.
“I am beyond grateful for the opportunity extended by coach Wolff and the administration at Georgia State University to return home to Georgia and continue my coaching career with such a well-respected program,” Williams said. “I am excited for the challenge ahead and look forward to working with such outstanding young men.”
