The Aggies ended their 2024-2025 season 3-6 in Big West conference games and 11-14 for the entire season. Coach Jackson led the team through her first post season as head coach. The Aggies made it through the first round of conference championships, beating UCSD 4-1.
Sara Jackson, a familiar face to UC Davis Athletics, has been named the new head coach for UC Davis women’s tennis, as announced by Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca.
Jackson succeeds the legendary Bill Maze, who retired following the 2023-24 season after a 34-year coaching career that included 29 years with the Aggies.
Jackson will enter her first season at the helm in the 2024-25 season after serving as an assistant for 19 years with the Aggies.
"Selecting the next head coach from an exceptional pool of candidates was important to continuing the tradition and culture established by the legendary Bill Maze,” said UC Davis Director of Athletics Rocko DeLuca. “Sara Jackson stands out as the ideal choice to build on our program's success and propel Aggie Pride into the future.
“Through my discussions with Sara and feedback from our leadership team, it became evident that she is deeply passionate about UC Davis and the promising future of our tennis program. Today marks a great day for UC Davis women's tennis."
A former Aggie team captain and longtime assistant, Jackson was in the midst of her second stint as an assistant on Maze’s staff, and she brings over two decades of collegiate coaching experience with a proven track record of success and quality leadership.
“I am incredibly excited for the opportunity Rocko has given me to lead the UC Davis women’s tennis team,” Jackson said. “I am humbled to follow in the footsteps of head coach Bill Maze, and I look forward to building on the success of a program I have been a part of for so long.
“I take great pride in our university, our athletic department, and this team, so the opportunity to continue working alongside an amazing team of coaches, support staff, and administrators means the world to me.”
While serving under Maze as an UC Davis’ assistant, Jackson was instrumental in much of the Aggies’ successes both on and off the court, while also standing as a vital member within the Davis community. In the most recent 2023-24 season, Jackson played a big part in UC Davis’ quarterfinal victory in the Big West Championships over No. 2-seeded CSUN, as well as the development of Arianna Stavropoulos and Mika Ikemori, both of whom received All-Big West honors.
Since rejoining the Aggies in 2013, this type of success has consistently been present with Jackson on board. That year, the Aggies achieved notable victories against a pair of nationally ranked teams in the form of Sacramento State and San Jose State.
Jackson has not only fostered team success but also has contributed significantly to player development, resulting in an abundance of all-conference selections, with 37 All-Big West honorees emerging during her second tenure with the Aggies.
In the classroom, Jackson has exemplified the standard for student-athletes at UC Davis. With Jackson on staff during 2020, the Aggies earned an NCAA Public Recognition Award for an outstanding Academic Progress Rate (APR) by posting their 12th perfect score in program history. This is the highest total of any men’s or women’s team sponsored by the Big West.
Jackson has also been an assistant coach during every year the Aggies have earned Division I Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team honors. The two most recent honors bring the total to 10 selections for UC Davis.
“I am extremely excited that Sara has been chosen to be the next head women’s tennis coach at UC Davis,” said Maze. “I cannot think of a better person to be in this position. She knows the game, she is extremely personable, and she is a great teacher. It’s the perfect hire and I can’t wait to watch her and her teams for many years to come.”
Prior to rejoining the Aggie staff in 2013, Jackson served as the head women’s tennis coach at American River College from 2009 to 2013. In this role, she gained invaluable experience and learned the many ins and outs of being a head coach, which she now brings to her new position at UC Davis. As the head of the Beavers program, Jackson assisted with on-court instruction in addition to her administrative duties.
Before her time at the junior college level, Jackson jumpstarted her collegiate coaching career upon graduating from UC Davis. She began her first stint as part of Maze’s staff, when she served as an assistant from 2001 to 2009.
In addition to her extensive collegiate coaching experience, Jackson has been the head tennis professional at El Macero Country Club since 2016 and a virtual wellness coach for Ingomu, a platform designed to enhance personal and professional growth through coaching, since 2021. Jackson’s ability to connect with people of all ages while being a pillar within the community makes her an Aggie through and through.
“Sara Jackson is a fantastic hire for UC Davis Athletics and the women’s tennis program,” said UC Davis men’s head tennis coach Eric Steidlmayer. “She has great ties to the program, both as an assistant coach and as a former student-athlete. She understands the history of the program, knows who to recruit, and is familiar with the competition.
“She is also one of the most intelligent and organized individuals I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. I believe she will continue the great tradition here and elevate UC Davis women’s tennis to the top of the conference. I am thrilled to have Sara as our next head coach.”
Before her coaching career, the former Sara Morenc was a team captain for the Aggies from 1999 to 2001. She also spent the 1997-98 season as part of the women’s tennis team at Murray State.
Jackson graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor’s degree in physics in 2001 and was one of only four women in her graduating class to do so. She later earned a master’s degree in kinesiology from Sacramento State in 2007.
