Pepperdine Announces Contract Extension for Women’s Tennis Head Coach Tassilo Schmid
6/11/2026 1:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MALIBU, Calif. — Pepperdine University and head women's tennis coach Tassilo Schmid have agreed to a contract extension through 2030, announced today by Director of Athletics Tanner Gardner.
"Tass has quickly established himself as one of the brightest coaches in collegiate tennis, and this extension reflects our confidence in his leadership and the future of Pepperdine Women's Tennis," said Gardner. "What he has accomplished in a short period of time is truly remarkable. More importantly, he leads with integrity and a genuine commitment to the Pepperdine mission. We are excited to continue building on the tremendous momentum he has created and look forward to what lies ahead for our program under his leadership."
Schmid is entering his third season at the helm of the women's tennis program in 2026-27, after serving as interim head coach in 2024-25, as he was then named head coach in July 2025. He originally came to Malibu in August 2018, serving on Adam Schaechterle's staff for six seasons with the men's tennis program from 2018-24.
"I'm really excited to continue my journey at Pepperdine," said Schmid. "It's one of the best places to compete at the highest level while developing into a professional tennis player. I'm proud to be a part of a program with such a strong tradition and am excited to keep chasing big goals with this team."
In his first full season as head coach in 2025-26, he helped guide the Waves to the NCAA Quarterfinals and posted a 21-5 overall record. Schmid was named West Coast Conference (WCC) Coach of the Year as Pepperdine went undefeated in conference play on the way to the WCC Championship.
Pepperdine held a final national ranking of No. 9 at season's end, having posted 13 ranked wins and five victories over top-10 opponents. The Waves knocked off sixth-ranked Oklahoma on the road in the NCAA Super Regionals after defeating UCSB and Stanford in Malibu to open the NCAA Tournament.
Schmid helped guide seven Waves to all-conference accolades, including all four newcomers in his first recruiting class, as Živa Falkner claimed WCC Co-Player of the Year honors while Sonja Zhiyenbayeva was named WCC Freshman of the Year.
As interim head coach in 2024-25, Schmid led the Waves to a WCC title and NCAA Tournament victory over Wake Forest. With five freshmen in the lineup, the Waves saw four players earn all-conference honors with Alexia Harmon earning WCC Co-Freshman of the Year.
In six seasons on the men's tennis staff, he helped the Waves reach three NCAA Tournaments and had five winning campaigns. The Waves claimed three WCC regular season titles and won the WCC Tournament for the first time in 10 years in 2023.
After joining the staff as assistant coach, he was promoted to Associate Head Coach in November 2022. Schmid was named ITA Southwest Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
Schmid began his coaching career at Florida State, where he helped the Seminoles reach the NCAA Tournament in three straight seasons from 2016-18.
A native of Stuttgart, Germany, Schmid played two seasons at Mississippi State following an All-American and national championship-winning run as a player at Tyler Junior College. He helped the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament and was an All-SEC Academic Team honoree.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S TENNIS
Pepperdine women's tennis has been a consistent powerhouse in the collegiate scene, reaching 41 NCAA Tournaments since 1982 including 29 straight appearances. Since 2018, the program has seen three national runner-ups between both singles and doubles while reaching an NCAA Super Regional as a team nine times in the past ten tournaments. The success at the conference level has been paramount with 34 WCC Championships including an active streak of 12 consecutive conference titles. With its 24 total All-Americans, the program has also consistently sent players to the pro circuit following their time in Malibu.
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