Dec. 12, 2006
Overland Park, Kan. – Notre Dame head women’s tennis coach Jay Louderback was inducted into the United States Tennis Association Missouri Valley Tennis Hall of Fame this past Saturday.
Louderback is one of the most decorated coaches in NCAA Division I women’s tennis history. In his 26-year coaching career, Louderback holds a 513-326 (.611) record, including a 468-293 (.615) mark coaching women’s tennis. At Notre Dame, he is 309-148 (.676), making him the winningest coach in program history. He currently ranks third best among active coaches in career wins.
When Louderback took over as women’s coach at Notre Dame in the fall of 1989, he inherited a program that had competed on the Division I level for just four years and had never participated in the NCAA tournament or earned a national ranking. As he enters his 18th season at the helm, Louderback has turned Notre Dame into one of the premier women’s tennis programs in the nation.
The Irish have finished in the national top 30 in each of the last 14 seasons and have earned 13 berths to the NCAA Championship in that span. Notre Dame has captured 13 conference titles during Louderback’s tenure and has reached the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament on six occasions.
Louderback, who has won the Big East Coach of the Year six times, was a terrific player as well, winning the Missouri Valley Conference doubles and singles championships in 1976 while a player for Wichita State.
Louderback will join his father J.C. Louderback, a 1998 inductee, into the Missouri Valley Hall of Fame. The Louderbacks will be the fourth father-son pair (Earl Buchholz, Sr./Earl “Butch” Buchholz, Jr. and Cliff Buchholz; Gerald Perry/Gerry Perry; The Ward Parker Family and sons) to be inducted into the USTA Missouri Valley Hall of Fame.
— ND —