A few months after it was announced that the Sells and the LSU women’s tennis program would be parting ways, the program has named their new coach, former Longhorn head coach, Taylor Fogleman. Fogleman garnered two national championships during his tenure with the Texas tennis program, more than proving himself worthy of filling the void the Sells left.
This comes after a solid five-year stint of success on the courts, where the Sells managed to build the program up to relevancy in the SEC before controversy and problems with COVID-19 struck them down. Allegations came out at the end of 2020 in regards to the Sells’ potential neglect of sexual and domestic assault cases involving players formerly involved with the program.
The stint included the building of a title-earning duo in Eden Richardson and Jessica Golovin and a 2020-21 season in which the team peaked at No. 9 in the ITA polls and narrowly missed out on advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. The season that followed wasn’t nearly as successful though, as the program finished 5-14, the Sells’ only losing season with the program, the team’s first losing season since 2013 and worst season of the 21st century.
Fogleman was able to immediately turn a mediocre Texas squad into not only a title contender, but a champion in an incredibly brief, four-year stint with the program. It is expected that he will be able to do the same with the Tigers, who already have a well-rounded roster and recent success in terms of recruitment.