The Cal Poly women’s tennis is coming off their third straight year of reaching the Big West Championship with Head Coach Ellie Edles Williams heading into her second season at the helm.
This year, the coaching staff adds a familiar face.
Edles Williams leads practice while her father, Mike Edles, assists as a volunteer coach with 38 years of collegiate coaching experience under his belt.
“I think that's a really unique experience for the two of us to be able to be on the same team,” Edles Williams said.
Retired in 2016, Mike Edles spent more than half his career with the U.C. Irvine women’s tennis program where he compiled three NCAA Tournament berths and four Big West regular season titles.
After assisting his daughter once when she was the interim head coach at Cal State Fullerton in 2022, he decided why not do it again?
“To be able to work with my daughter and just to be around her, whether it be just at her house, hanging out somewhere or on the tennis court, it is just great to be with her,” Edles explained.
Tennis has bonded the father-daughter duo since Ellie’s days following her dad on recruiting trips.
“It turned out to be a real bonding time for us," Edles laughed. "They felt I was really approachable because they had my daughter with me. It was actually a big recruiting advantage.”
However, tennis also unlocked moments where the balance between family life and professional life were uncomfortable back when Ellie played and coached in the Big West Conference against her dad. As a player at U.C. Davis, twice, Ellie lost to her father's Anteaters in the first round of the Big West Tournament.
“Nothing's weirder than coaching against your dad and playing against your dad. It was kind of like we got the weirdest thing out of the way early. It kind of opened up some the doors for me to just kind of fall into the professional world a little bit.”
With years of wisdom to impart on the Mustangs, the key ingredient in creating a successful program according to the former All-American and ITA West and Southwest Region Coach of the Year is: “creating a culture where the players can thrive.”
With three straight trips to the Big West Championship, the Mustangs culture is already in a good place under Edles Williams as the team is still in search of their first conference title since 2011; something that only comes with patience.
“He's a really good reminder that things take time and to be patient and to really stick to what you believe in what your philosophy as a coach and keep coming back to that. That's been really grounding for me.”
In addition to his coaching duties, Edles will also be utilized as a babysitter with Edles Williams and her husband Scott Williams welcoming in a new baby girl Riley in August.
The Mustangs have matches against Montana and Gonzaga in Spokane, WA over the weekend to begin their first head-to-head matches of the season.
