University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: Matthew A. Smith
A Letter to Tiger Nation
Apr 26, 2024 | Women's Tennis
Tiger Nation:
Where to start? Simply, THANK YOU! Â
This year marked the opening of Leftwich Tennis Center in mid-November, and from that point forward, we had a home! The scope of what we have now is not lost on me. We have first-class locker rooms, a first-class training room and first-class courts. Our facility is amazing, and it certainly helped us this year. We were nearly perfect at home with an 11-1 record, and I loved every minute of it.
To you the fans - thank you for showing up and supporting our program. With over 200 fans out for our Ole Miss match, it was a great atmosphere for the girls to compete in. I am already looking forward to next year's match with them, where we will play at the exact same time as the men's team also taking on Ole Miss. I hope you all continue to turn up and turn out, and let's get 500-plus Tiger fans in the building and create an atmosphere like no other for college tennis!Â
To Jeff Crane (our Senior Deputy Athletic Director), thank you for your support of our program and for being the point person for all things Leftwich as we navigated the opening of the tennis center and working with their staff. We couldn't have done it without you!
Having a home facility meant having a number of home matches, and I need to thank our Media Relations staff, our Facilities staff, our Marketing staff and everyone involved in making our home matches a success as we tackled a new frontier of hosting teams week in and week out for matches played both indoors and outdoors during the season! I appreciate all of you!
Lastly, a big thank you to my players and the inner nucleus of our program including my Associate Head Coach, Ryan Haymond, and of course both our wives. This year's team worked very hard all year, and without their hard work and dedication to each other, Ryan, and me, we would not have achieved the 2nd-highest year-end ranking in program history and making the conference championship final for the second time in three years. Ryan continues to approach his job with a passion that is unmatched, and his willingness to do whatever it takes to give our girls the best experience possible is amazing! He and I couldn't do it without our wives, Gretchen Perez and Lizzy Haymond, period. Their support both on and off the court allows us to excel.  Our Athletic Trainer, Phil Kemmerer, deserves a lot of credit for an amazing job of keeping us healthy throughout the year!
I am sad the season has come to an end, but I know the future is bright for this program, and your continued support is greatly appreciated. For those helping us financially, we are so grateful you are investing in us and our program. Words simply can't describe our gratitude, and just know we are doing everything we can to make you proud!
THANK YOU again, Tiger Nation!
Respectfully,
Hayden Perez
Head Coach – University of Memphis Women's Tennis
Â
Where to start? Simply, THANK YOU! Â
This year marked the opening of Leftwich Tennis Center in mid-November, and from that point forward, we had a home! The scope of what we have now is not lost on me. We have first-class locker rooms, a first-class training room and first-class courts. Our facility is amazing, and it certainly helped us this year. We were nearly perfect at home with an 11-1 record, and I loved every minute of it.
To you the fans - thank you for showing up and supporting our program. With over 200 fans out for our Ole Miss match, it was a great atmosphere for the girls to compete in. I am already looking forward to next year's match with them, where we will play at the exact same time as the men's team also taking on Ole Miss. I hope you all continue to turn up and turn out, and let's get 500-plus Tiger fans in the building and create an atmosphere like no other for college tennis!Â
To Jeff Crane (our Senior Deputy Athletic Director), thank you for your support of our program and for being the point person for all things Leftwich as we navigated the opening of the tennis center and working with their staff. We couldn't have done it without you!
Having a home facility meant having a number of home matches, and I need to thank our Media Relations staff, our Facilities staff, our Marketing staff and everyone involved in making our home matches a success as we tackled a new frontier of hosting teams week in and week out for matches played both indoors and outdoors during the season! I appreciate all of you!
Lastly, a big thank you to my players and the inner nucleus of our program including my Associate Head Coach, Ryan Haymond, and of course both our wives. This year's team worked very hard all year, and without their hard work and dedication to each other, Ryan, and me, we would not have achieved the 2nd-highest year-end ranking in program history and making the conference championship final for the second time in three years. Ryan continues to approach his job with a passion that is unmatched, and his willingness to do whatever it takes to give our girls the best experience possible is amazing! He and I couldn't do it without our wives, Gretchen Perez and Lizzy Haymond, period. Their support both on and off the court allows us to excel.  Our Athletic Trainer, Phil Kemmerer, deserves a lot of credit for an amazing job of keeping us healthy throughout the year!
I am sad the season has come to an end, but I know the future is bright for this program, and your continued support is greatly appreciated. For those helping us financially, we are so grateful you are investing in us and our program. Words simply can't describe our gratitude, and just know we are doing everything we can to make you proud!
THANK YOU again, Tiger Nation!
Respectfully,
Hayden Perez
Head Coach – University of Memphis Women's Tennis
Â
Thursday, April 24
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