Women's Tennis Coaching Staff

01/02/00

- Head Coach Kevin Epley (Southern Methodist, 1996)

In seven seasons as a Division I head coach, William and Mary’s Kevin Epley has firmly established himself as one of the nation’s elite mentors. A quick glance at his resume shows four top-10 national finishes and five conference championships. Individually, he has tutored an individual, or doubles team, to the NCAA’s six out of the last seven years, highlighted by Megan Moulton-Levy and Katarina Zoricic’s run to the finals of the NCAA Doubles Championship last season. In total, Epley’s charges have produced a total of 15 All-America honors.

Over Epley’s four-year tenure at W&M, the College is 78-31 (.716) in dual matches. On three occasions, including 2007, he has been named the Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year. Over his seven-year career as a Division I head coach, Epley is 133-50 (.727).

Epley led W&M to an impressive 22-3 mark during the 2007 dual match season, culminating in a Round of 16 appearance at the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. The College reeled off a school-record 11 consecutive wins to open the dual match campaign, including a 4-3 win over then-No.1 and eventual national champion Georgia Tech in February. It marked the first No. 1-ranked team the Tribe had defeated since the 1995 season. The Tribe captured its third CAA Championship under Epley and finished the season ranked No. 15 nationally. It was the highest final ranking for the College since finishing eighth in 2003.

The 2006-07 season was monumental individually for the Tribe as well. At the 2006 ITA National Indoor Championship, Epley coached Moulton-Levy and Zoricic to a national championship in doubles. The pair earned a spot in the championships by winning the East Region and then claimed the national title by winning the 16-team tournament, the most excusive of the three collegiate national championship events.

The honors rolled in for the Tribe in 2007 as five W&M players earned All-CAA honors in singles, while a pair of doubles teams earned the accolade as well. The College swept the major CAA awards as Moulton-Levy won the CAA Player of the Year honor (her third) and the Most Outstanding Player at the CAA Tournament accolade as well, while Ragini Acharya was named the CAA Rookie of the Year and Epley garnered CAA Coach of the Year distinction. Moulton-Levy was an All-American in both singles and doubles, becoming the first Tribe player since 1998 to accomplish the feat. Zoricic was an All-American as well in doubles. Under Epley’s direction, Moulton-Levy became the first female player to win the ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship in consecutive seasons (2006 and 2007).

During the 2006 outdoor season, the Tribe was ranked as high as No. 18 in the national polls and finished the year at No. 27. W&M advanced to the title match of the CAA Tournament and earned an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament. The Tribe defeated three teams ranked among the top 20 nationally, including a victory over then-No. 5 Duke. Moulton-Levy became the first Tribe female singles player to reach the semifinals of the NCAA Individual Championships. Moulton-Levy was the first W&M singles player to earn All-American honors since 1998, while also raking in a plethora of other awards on the year, including CAA and VaSID Player of the Year and the ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship.

The Tribe ended 2005 ranked 20th in the nation after reaching a high of No. 6 during the season, the program’s best ranking since 1997. W&M posted three wins over top-25 opponents, including a road upset over No. 5 Duke.

Epley has also led W&M to a multitude of individual honors in his five seasons at the College. He coached a doubles team to the ITA East Region championship in 2004, 2005 and 2006. In 2004 and 2005, two Tribe doubles teams reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Individual Championships. A Tribe player has been named CAA Player of the Year each of his seasons on campus, while the CAA Rookie of the Year has been awarded to a W&M player the last three years. Twelve singles players on 21 occasions have been named All-CAA, while nine doubles teams have earned first or second-team all-league honors over his three seasons.

Epley came to Williamsburg from Fresno State, where he led the Bulldogs program for three years. While at Fresno State, Epley led the team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and a final national ranking of 25th or better each year, including a program-high eighth-place showing in the 2001 season. The Bulldogs won the Western Athletic Conference championship and Epley was named the WAC Coach of the Year in both 2002 and 2003. His tenure in Fresno produced eight All-Americans, two WAC Players of the Year and a WAC Freshman of the Year. The squad’s success was not limited to the ourt as his teams achieved a combined grade point average of 3.6, or higher, each year at Fresno State.

Prior to his time at Fresno State, Epley was an assistant coach at the University of Arizona for the 1999-2000 season, helping the Wildcats to a No. 24 final national ranking and a trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament. He was also an assistant coach at the University of Alabama for the 1998-99 campaign.

Epley has significant experience in coaching some of America’s top professional players, including working with the legendary Billie Jean King as an assistant coach for the 2000 United States Olympic Women’s Tennis Team, helping the U.S. win a gold and bronze medal in singles and another gold medal in doubles. In the summer of 2001, he was the head coach of the Saint Louis Aces of the World Team Tennis pro league, which included players such as Andy Roddick, Rick Leach, Lindsay Davenport and Jared Palmer. Epley served as an assistant coach on the U.S. Women’s Tennis Federation Cup Team from 1996-2002 and also was a personal coach for Davenport and Patty Schnyder.

Epley grew up in the Baltimore area and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1996 with a degree in finance. He was the team’s No. 1 player and captain, and was twice selected to the Commissioner’s Honor Roll for Academic and Athletic Excellence.

Epley and his wife, Krissy, reside in Williamsburg.

Kevin Epley’s Career at a Glance
Collegiate Highlights
•Led team to a top 10 national ranking in five out of seven seasons
•Finished in the top 25 in the nation five out of seven seasons
•Won a conference championship in five out of seven seasons
•Named his conference’s coach of the year in five out of seven seasons
•Coached a doubles team or singles player to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament in six of seven seasons, including guiding Megan Moulton-Levy and Katarina Zoricic to the finals of the NCAA Doubles Championship in 2007
•Nine players have earned 15 All-America honors at the NCAA Individual Championships
•Led team to the NCAA Tournament all seven seasons
•Three CAA Championships
•21 All-CAA singles players and nine All-CAA doubles teams
•Six Conference Players of the Year
•Four Conference Freshmen of the Year

Professional Highlights
•Worked with Billie Jean King as an assistant coach for the United States team that won two golds and a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics
•Coached Andy Roddick, Rick Leach, Lindsay Davenport and Jared Palmer as head coach of the St. Louis Aces (2001)
•Assistant coach for the U.S. Women’s Federation Cup team (1998-2002) where he coached Venus and Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Monica Seles, Mary Joe Fernandez and Lisa Raymond
•Personal coach for eighth-ranked Patty Schnyder and Lindsay Davenport through the Toyota Princess Cup


Assistant Coach Simone Jardim (Fresno State, 2003)

Simone Jardim is in her first season as an assistant coach with the Tribe after joining the program for the start of the dual match season. She spent three years as an assistant at her alma mater, Fresno State, prior to coming to W&M. She played for and was a two-time All-American under the direction of Epley when he was the head coach of the Bulldog program.

After serving as the interim assistant coach in 2004, Jardim joined the staff full down for the 2005 and 2006 campaigns. Over the three years, the Bulldogs amassed a 58-20 (.744) to go along with three WAC Championship and a trio trips to the NCAA Tournament, including two Round of 16 appearances in 2004 and 2006. In fact, during her first season, the Bulldogs totaled the second-highest win total in school history (22), while finishing the year ranked No. 13 nationally. In Jardim’s final season as an assistant at Fresno State, the Bulldogs finished the year ranked No. 20 after compiling a 20-7 record.

Also during her tenure as an assistant coach at Fresno State, Jardim helped to guide a singles player and a doubles team to the NCAA title match. In 2004, Jelena Pandzic advanced to the championship match of the NCAA Singles Championship. Two years later, Lucia Sainz and Katharina Winterhalter garnered a spot in the NCAA Doubles Championship final.

Jardim spent two seasons as a member of the Bulldog program after transferring from Auburn. She amassed a single ledger of 52-16 (.765) and a doubles mark of 59-14 (.808). A two-time All-American in doubles, Jardim teamed with Kim Niggemeyer to form the No. 1-ranked team in the nation for a time in 2001. The pair played in the NCAA Doubles Tournament in both 2001 and 2002, finishing both campaigns ranked in the top 10 nationally. Jardim was a Second-Team All-WAC selection in singles and a first-team honoree in doubles during both her seasons with the Bulldogs. She finished her senior season ranked No. 103 nationally in singles.

Fresno State was 38-11 (.776) during her two seasons and finished the 2001 campaign ranked No. 14 nationally, while completing 2002 at No. 25. The Bulldogs won a WAC Championship in 2002 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament during both of Jardim’s seasons. During the 2000-01 season, Fresno State was ranked as high as No. 8 in the country, which is still a program best.

A native of Santa Maria, Brazil, Jardim graduated from Fresno State in 2003 with a bachelor’s degree in public relations. She is married to Chad Edwards.