Gonzaga University Women's Tennis

D.J. Gurule is entering his 20th year with Gonzaga University and his third season as head coach of the Gonzaga men’s tennis team. Prior to becoming the 6th head coach in Gonzaga men’s tennis history in 2021, Gurule was the head coach of the Gonzaga women’s tennis team for 17 consecutive seasons. In his first season as head coach of the GU men’s tennis team, Gurule helped lead the Zags to an impressive 18-6 record, while breaking many GU men’s tennis records in the process. The 2021-22 men’s tennis team, coached by Gurule, set a program record for best dual record (18-6), most dual wins (18), and longest dual winning streak (8). In addition, the Zags earned the most dual sweeps (9), the best home dual record (11-0), and the most home dual wins (11) in GU men’s tennis history. Finishing the season ranked 4th in the West Coast Conference (WCC), Gurule led the Zags to a 6-3 conference record, which is the second-best conference record in GU men’s tennis history. In the WCC Championships, Gonzaga made it to the Semifinals for the first time since the 2014-15 season. After only a single season coaching the GU men’s tennis team, Gurule now has the fourth-most wins (18) and the best winning percentage (75.0%) in program history. Also, the excellent 2021-22 season saw the GU men’s tennis team earn their highest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) team ranking in program history, as the Zags were ranked 51st in the country. Entering the 2022-23 season, Gurule’s excellent first season has the Zags ranked 5th in ITA regional rankings, which is also the highest in team history. Gurule has overseen the profound growth of GU women’s tennis. The Zags have won double-digit matches in eight seasons under Gurule, including five of the six highest win totals in the last 20 years. The last three seasons have been the some of the program’s best ever. The Bulldogs finished in second place in each of the last three West Coast Conference regular season standings, a feat that has never been done before. In 2017, the Zags reached the final match of the WCC Championships for the first time ever, one year after reaching the program’s first semifinal. In 2018, the Bulldogs once again reached the conference tournament semifinals. In the past three seasons under Gurule, program records have been broken in team winning percentage, individual singles wins, doubles pairs wins and more. After nearly a three-year hiatus from the national polls, Gonzaga began the 2018 dual season with its highest ranking ever at No. 41 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll. The 2017-18 slate featured several program firsts: during the tournament season, Sophie Whittle became the first ever Bulldog to participate in the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships, and the Bulldogs were part of the 2018 ITA Kick-Off Weekend, taking on both Michigan and Brown in their first appearance in the tournament. After the 17-4 season in 2017, the Bulldogs were ranked No. 5 in the Northwest Region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the highest regional ranking in program history. In 2014, Gurule led the team to a national ITA ranking for the first time ever, and the Zags returned to the national poll a year later. In addition to the strong WCC showing, the 2015-16 campaign also included an 11-match win streak – another program record – and single-season individual wins highs in both singles (25; Domonique Garley) and doubles play (25; Samantha Polayes and Sophie Whittle).  During this rise, Gurule has coached 40 All-West Coast Conference honorees, including the Zags’ first-ever First Team All-WCC Singles winner (Katie Edwards, 2015), Doubles pair (Polayes and Whittle, 2016), and Second Team All-WCC honoree (Agalya Kokurina, 2008). Additionally, Gurule has coached most of the players on the Gonzaga career wins lists. Success hasn’t just come on the court; Gurule’s teams have also achieved highly in the classroom. The Zags have earned numerous ITA All-Academic honors as a team, and 24 student-athletes have been recognized individually at ITA Scholar Athletes. The West Coast Conference has also recognized 25 of Gurule’s student-athletes with WCC All-Academic honors. In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Gurule has spent time working in tennis clubs throughout the Pacific Northwest. He’s served as co-director of the Spokane Racquet Club and also spent time at Eagle Crest Resort in Redmond, Oregon, and Broken Top in Bend, Oregon. He got his start in coaching at Bend’s Mountain View High School. Gurule played collegiate tennis at Pacific Lutheran University, earning four letters for the Lutes. He and his wife Katie reside in Spokane with their two daughters.

Natalie Pluskota-Hamberg is entering her third year as the head coach for the Gonzaga women's tennis team. She was recently the assistant for GU for four years after returning to Spokane following a one-year stint at Arkansas in 2018-19. Pluskota-Hamberg has helped multiple Zags garner all-conference recognition with 19 Zags being honored in her four years with the program. In the 2020-21 season, Pluskota-Hamberg mentored three All-WCC Singles Honorable Mention selections in Cate Broerman, Haruna Tsuruta and Kate Ketels, and two pairs of doubles All-WCC honorees as Hannah Jones/Adrianna Sosnowska were selected the first-ever All-WCC Doubles Second Team in program history while Tsuruta/Ketels were selected Honorable Mention. Pluskota-Hamberg has also helped to cultivate academic success. In her four years, Gonzaga has earned two ITA All-Academic Team honors and has had 10 ITA All-Academic performers along with four WCC All-Academic First Team selections and eight honorable mention selections. Pluskota-Hamberg's returned to GU after a season where the Razorbacks went 14-14, including an SEC Tournament win over then-No. 14 Missouri in the first round. She helped coach Martina Zerulo to All-SEC First Team honors and lead seven Razorbacks to ITA All-Academic Team honors.  During the 2017-18 season with the Zags, Pluskota-Hamberg was instrumental in helping the program to a second-place finish in the West Coast Conference for the second straight year with a 16-7 overall record. For her efforts, she was named the tasc Performance ITA Assistant Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Under the development of Pluskota-Hamberg, Sophie Whittle earned All-WCC first-team honors in singles and doubles with partner Graciela Rosas. Nevada Apollo earned second-team honors in singles, and the doubles pair of Haruna Tsuruta and Alex Bourguignon were named All-WCC Honorable Mention. Her first season was the most successful in Gonzaga history. Pluskota-Hamberg helped lead the Zags to a program-best 17-4 record in 2017, reaching the West Coast Conference Championships final for the first time in school history. During the regular season, the Zags finished second in the conference, and they ended the year with a fifth-place ranking in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Northwest Regional rankings, another program high. Pluskota-Hamberg helped four Zag individuals or doubles teams earned All-WCC honors, including a pair of First Team – Singles players in Whittle and Apollo. Both finished the year in the ITA's Northwest Singles ranking as well. Pluskota-Hamberg came to Spokane after a four-year pro career and two years of teaching experience. She served as a tennis professional at Bridgehampton Tennis and Surf Club in Bridgehampton, New York. There, she gave lessons to members and oversaw children's summer tennis camps. Pluskota-Hamberg also served as a volunteer assistant coach at Oklahoma State for the 2015 dual season, helping lead the Cowgirls to a 23-6 record and a spot in the NCAA Tournament's Round of 16. During her professional career, Pluskota-Hamberg saw particular success on the doubles court, reaching a No. 157 world ranking and claiming four pairs titles. She won the $10,000 Evansville (Indiana) Tournament in 2014 while adding wins in Rock Hill, South Carolina; Phoenix; and Atlanta. In singles play, she was a finalist in a $25,000 tournament at Landisville, Pennsylvania, reaching a world ranking of 478. In college at the University of Tennessee, Pluskota-Hamberg earned four All-America honors, being recognized for her doubles play in 2009, 2010, and 2012, and singles play in 2012. She reached three NCAA Doubles Tournament semifinals, reaching the championship match in 2010. Additionally, she earned three All-SEC First Team or Second Team awards along with Freshman All-SEC Team honors in 2009. She won four doubles titles in college, including the 2011 ITA Ohio Valley Regional and the 2010 ITA All-American Tournament.

Gonzaga women's tennis head coach Natalie Pluskota-Hamberg announced the addition of Andrew Connolly to her staff as an assistant coach. "I am excited to add Andrew to our Zag family!" Pluskota-Hamberg said. "He brings a ton of creativity and experience to recruiting, as well as, successful development of student-athletes both on and off court. Not only will he positively impact our program but he will have tremendous impact on our surrounding Gonzaga community. Looking forward to getting him on campus soon!"  Connolly will join Gonzaga from UTSA, where he spent the last two seasons. He was part of a 14-win in 2023 and a 17-win season in 2024. In both seasons, UTSA advanced to the conference championship in Conference USA (2023) and the American Athletic Conference (2024). He has coached two all-conference selections and five ITA Scholar-Athletes through his two seasons. Most recently in 2024, the 'Runners started off the season by going 9-3 and eventually finishing the season with a 9-0 record at home, marking the first undefeated home slate since 1992. UTSA also picked up critical victories on the road, toppling 55th-ranked Florida Atlantic, 4-3, for the highest-ranked win in the 21st century. The Roadrunners concluded the year with a 17-7 record for the most wins since 2003 and third-most in program history. The squad climbed to 61st in the ITA National Rankings, representing the school's highest-ever rankings.  "I am absolutely thrilled to become part of Gonzaga University and the Zags tennis family," Connolly said. "I am grateful to Coach Pluskota-Hamberg for giving me the chance to contribute to a university that prioritizes a standard of excellence and empowering student-athletes. I look forward to learning from and coaching alongside her as we support our student-athletes in their holistic development. Gonzaga is a special place, and I cannot wait to join Coach Pluskota-Hamberg and continue to build on the program's rich tradition of excellence! Go Zags!" Prior to UTSA, Connolly was at Wingate, where he was a graduate assistant from 2020-22. During his time with the Bulldogs, the men's team finished 26-12 and the women went 32-10, making an NCAA Tournament appearance in each of the four seasons of play. Wingate also dominated in the South Atlantic Conference action over Connolly's two seasons on staff, with three regular-season conference championships and the 2021 Women's SAC Tournament title.   Under Connolly's tutelage, the men reached as high as No. 20 in 2022 and No. 12 in 2021. The women were also a top-15 program in the country over Connolly's time, reaching highs of 11 and 12 in the national polls in 2022 and '21, respectively.   Before beginning his coaching career, Connolly graduated from NAIA national powerhouse Keiser University in 2019. While at Keiser, Connolly helped lead the Seahawks to three consecutive Sun Conference Championships from 2017-2019 as well as a No. 2 NAIA national ranking in 2018. During his time there, the Seahawks advanced to the NAIA National Championships Semi-Finals in 2017 and the Finals in 2018.