Since arriving at the Capstone over a decade ago, the Crimson Tide women’s tennis coach Jenny Mainz has maintained a winning program that has produced successful student athletes both on and off the court.
Mainz, a San Antonio native, has been at the helm of the Tide’s women’s tennis program for 13 years. She has turned the program into a perennial powerhouse.
Mainz’s journey began as a student athlete at the University of Houston as a three-year captain and All-Southwest Conference player on the tennis court and an All-American in the classroom.
She said she stresses the importance of off-the-court contributions that carried her through her successful collegiate career to her current players.
“Development on the court is important,” Mainz said. “But it is what you do off the court that can really carry a student athlete a long way.”
Mainz’s knowledge of the game led her to being an assistant coach at her alma mater before going on to coach at various universities across the country, including the University of Iowa and Florida State University. But it was in 1998, at the University of Alabama, where she said she found her new home.
“The people of Alabama are the best people I have ever been around,” Mainz said. “The support system at the University of Alabama is incredible. It just doesn’t get any better, and it all starts from the top with Athletics Director Mal Moore, who has really allowed my coaches and I to run such a successful program, to our trainers who keep our players healthy. Everyone plays an important role in the success of this team.”
Mainz also credits the recent success of other Alabama sports, such as football and basketball, as key contributors of her success while coaching at Alabama.
“The success of the other sports at Alabama is contagious,” Mainz said. “Coach Saban and Coach Grant have done a tremendous job with their teams and have been an integral part of the support system that is Alabama Athletics.”
Mainz’s tenure at the University of Alabama has been extremely successful as well. She is the only coach to take the Tide to six straight NCAA tournaments, and she also coached the Tide to its first SEC Western Division crown in 2003.
In 2009, one of the most successful years in her career, Mainz guided the Tide to a No. 26 overall ranking, the highest in the program’s history. That year, she also received the Wilson/ITA South Region Coach of the Year title.
Last season, after another successful year, Mainz was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in addition to individual awards distributed to her team by the SEC. However, Mainz said her most gratifying reward is seeing her current and former athletes excel off the court, in addition to what they have done on the court.
“I have to say, the greatest thing for me to see are my players growing, to see them advance and make an impact in the community and society,” Mainz said. “It is just so rewarding to see them positively impact the world in whatever they decide to pursue.”
