Portland State University Athletics

Portland State head women's tennis coach Jay Sterling has brought the PSU women's tennis program to a new level of prosperity as he enters his 11th year of service on the Park Blocks during the 2019-20 academic year. 

Sterling led the Portland State women's tennis team to an historic season during the 2013-14 season, when they qualified for the Big Sky Championships for the first time in program history. The Vikings qualified for the conference tournament behind a 10-7 overall record and 6-3 Big Sky record, the program's best-ever records in both categories since it became a Division I program in 1997. Additionally, the Vikings' 6-3 Big Sky record placed them fourth in the conference during the season, the program's highest-ever finish in the conference standings.

Several individual accomplishments led the Vikings during the 2014 spring season, as Megan Govi became the Vikings' all-time singles wins leader during the season, while No. 1 singles player Dané Vorster became just the fourth PSU women's player to earn All-Big Sky first-team honors at the end of the season. Govi also earned her second straight All-Big Sky honorable-mention honors after the season.

Additionally, all six active members of the team earned Academic All-Big Sky honors after the 2014 spring season, while five of the team's players earned ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.

Sterling maintained that level of success during the team's 2015 season, as the Vikings qualified for the Big Sky tournament for the second straight season while finishing 9-11 overall and 5-6 in Big Sky play. Sterling coached Tracy Dong to one of the best individual seasons in program history in 2015 as Dong set single-season program records for overall singles win percentage (.789), Big Sky singles wins (8), wins at No. 3 singles (13) and win percentage at No. 3 singles (.765). Dong also finished with the second-best single-season win total with 15 overall singles wins, placing her second only to Govi, who set the record with 17 wins in 2013.

The 2015 season was also one of the best academic seasons for the Vikings in program history, as a record-breaking seven players earned ITA Scholar Athlete honors after the season, while the team earned ITA All-Academic team honors for the sixth straight season. Seven athletes also earned Academic All-Big Sky honors, setting another academic record within the program.

The Vikings fell short of a third straight Big Sky tournament appearance in 2016, but still won the doubles point in 10 of the team's 15 matches. Sterling also helped Dong to her second straight All-Big Sky honor in 2016, as she was named an honorable mention after earning second-team honors in 2015.

Dong repeated as an honorable mention selection in doubles along with Siena Peri in 2017, making her the program's first three-time all-conference honoree.

Sterling led the Vikings to a bounce-back performance in 2019, leading Eszter Zador to a second-team All-Big Sky honor and the team to a 5-10 overall record.

Earlier in his career, Sterling's 2013 squad had four different players post 10 or more singles wins during the 2012-13 campaign. 
  
In 2011, Sterling led the women to a sixth-place finish in the final Big Sky standings with wins over foes Eastern Washington, Idaho State and Northern Colorado, after finishing ninth a year earlier.
 
He oversaw first team All-Big Sky selection Yuki Sugiyama and helped guide the phenom to a 13-4 spring record at No. 1 and even helped advanced her to the round of 32-out-of-128 at the ITA Northwest Regional.
 
Sterling also served as the men's tennis coach from 2010-13, and left the program as the all-time leader in wins with a 21-48 record. On the men's side in 2011, Sterling led the Vikings to a seventh-place finish and nearly upset Big Sky Champion Sacramento State. He tutored Mitch Somach to a dual record of 9-9 and a conference record of 5-3, en route to Big Sky honorable mention honors.
 
Sterling also coached Chris Rice, the Viking men's only All-Big Sky first-team selection and school record-holder in overall singles wins (28), overall singles win percentage (.509), Big Sky singles wins (14), wins at No. 1 singles (28) and win percentage at No. 1 singles (.509).
 
Following the 2011 season, both the men and women’s teams received ITA All-Academic team honors for having a team cumulative GPA of 3.35 or greater, the second consecutive year for the women’s team. Individually, Anya Dalkin and Marti Pellicano received ITA Scholar Athlete awards for having a GPA of 3.50 or greater for that academic year. Roman Margoulis was the only male student-athlete in the Big Sky Conference to earn the award ITA Scholar Athlete award in 2011.
 
Sterling was announced as the head coach of the Portland State men and women's tennis programs July 14, 2010, after serving as the interim head coach for much of the 2010 spring season.
 
"I am excited about the opportunity that the administration has given to me to serve as head coach for our tennis programs," Sterling said at the time of his hire. "During my time here as an assistant coach, I've developed a real connection with the University, and I feel like I'm a real part of what's happening here - part of the vision that Torre and his administration are trying to accomplish with their 'Biggest in the Big Sky' philosophy.
 
"I'm looking forward to sharing in that vision, as well as continuing the vision that I've been able to create for the teams over the past season, growing the programs, and taking advantage of the amazing opportunities that exist here right now for this program and its athletes."
 
Under Sterling as interim head coach in 2010, the men's team had one of their best seasons in program history, finishing fifth in the Big Sky at 4-4, their best result ever, and had an overall record of 7-10. Rice was named first team All-Big Sky, the first Viking ever to receive the honor, while Alex VanDerschelden was named honorable mention. Jeff Cero was named Academic All-Big Sky as well.
 
The women's team was among the top-performing teams academically as the team carried a 3.44 GPA and was honored by the ITA for their outstanding contributions in the classroom. Four individuals Anya Dalkin, Caitlin Stocking, Kylea Gleason and Marti Pellicano were named to the Academic All-Big Sky team to go along with the team hardware.
 
Sterling spent 2008 as a tennis pro at the Olde Towne Athletic Club in Marietta, Georgia, where he instructed individuals and teams of all ages and abilities. Sterling also coached full-time for the Baskin-Ginepri Tennis Academy, where more than 200 former students have received college tennis scholarships. While there, he coached elite junior players at local, state and regional USTA tournaments while studying under his mentor and friend, the legendary coach Jerry Baskin, and assisted in the management of the academy’s intensive summer tennis camps.
 
Prior to his time at Old Towne, Sterling was a year-round hitting partner with several members of the women’s tennis team at The University of Georgia from 2004-2007. During his summers, he worked individually with several key players of a UGA team that reached three NCAA quarterfinals and claimed two SEC Championships, and each of them obtained ITA rankings in the top 100 in singles and top 20 in doubles.
 
During his playing career in Georgia, Sterling was ranked in Men’s Open Singles at both the regional and state level from 2001-2003, and achieved a top-10 ranking in Georgia in both 2001 and 2002. He also played line 1 on several championship men’s teams and mixed doubles teams in the Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association league, and was the division champion and state finalist in the 2002 K-Swiss singles league, playing at the 5.0 level.
 
While playing high school tennis in Louisiana, Sterling was a three-time high school state qualifier, and reached the 4-A semifinals during his senior year after finishing the regular season undefeated at the No. 1 singles position.
 
Sterling started playing tennis with his family at age 3, and started playing competitively at age 12, holding a ranking for the majority of his junior career. He is a certified USPTA Developmental Coach, and has a passion for helping players develop and maximize their potential. Sterling earned his B.A. in International Business from The University of Georgia in 2007.
 
He came to Portland State in January 2009 as an assistant coach to former coach Brian Parrott. When Parrott stepped down as head coach to pursue outside business ventures Feb. 10, 2010, Sterling assumed the role of interim head coach.
 
Sterling married his wife, Kimberly, in September 2009.
 
The Sterling File
Personal
Alma Mater: Georgia, ‘07
B.A., International Business
 
Portland State (2009-Present)
- Came to Portland State as an assistant coach in January of 2009
- Named interim head coach in Feb. 2010 when former head coach Brian Parrott left to pursue outside business ventures
- Named head coach of the men and women’s tennis programs on July 14, 2010
- Became the exclusive head coach of the Portland State women's tennis program ahead of the 2013-14 season
 
Old Towne Athletic Club (2008)
- Tennis pro at the Old Towne Athletic Club in Marietta, Ga.
 
Baskin-Ginepri Tennis Academy (2008)
- Full-time coach at the Baskin-Ginepri Tennis Academy
- Worked closely with mentor and tennis legend Jerry Baskin
- Managed summer camps
 
Success Under Sterling
- 37 Big Sky All-Academic selections since 2010 for the women’s team
- 10 Big Sky All-Academic selections from 2010-13 for the men's team (Sterling gave up coaching responsibilities for the men's tennis program in 2013)
- Seven All-Big Sky selections for the women’s team, including Yuki Sugiyama and Dané Vorster, two of the Viking women's four all-time All-Big Sky first-team selections
- Four All-Big Sky selections for the men’s team, including Chris Rice, the first men’s first-team selection in program history
- Eight straight ITA All-Academic Team awards for the women’s team (2010-17) for boasting a team GPA of 3.2 or better.
- Two ITA All-Academic Team award for the men’s team (2011, 2012)
- Coached 34 of the women's program's 39 ITA Scholar-Athlete honorees, including a single-season record seven in 2015
- Coached the program's only three four-time ITA Scholar-Athlete honorees in Tracy Dong, Megan Govi and Marti Pellicano
- Led men’s team to its best conference finish in program history at the time in 2010 (fifth, 4-4)
- Led women’s team to best conference finish in program history in 2014 (fourth, 6-3)
- Coached Megan Govi to the women's all-time lead in singles and doubles wins
- Coached Chris Rice and Alex VanDerschelden, who shared the all-time lead in singles wins for the men's program until 2017
- Coached nine of the top 11 all-time singles wins leaders in the PSU women's program, including all of the top four
- Coached nine of the top 10 all-time doubles wins leaders in the PSU women's program, including all of the top eight