Tassilo Schmid was named the head coach of the Pepperdine women's tennis team on July 10, 2025 after serving as the interim head coach during the 2025 season.
In Schmid's year as the interim head coach, the Waves won their 11th-consecutive West Coast Conference title and had four players earn All-WCC honors — all while playing with five freshmen in the lineup. Freshman Alexia Harmon earned Co-WCC Freshman of the Year honors, plus sophomore Vivian Yang and freshman Anastasiia Grechkina were first-team all-conference selections as Schmid guided the young Pepperdine roster back to the NCAA Tournament. Schmid also notched his first career women's tennis postseason win with Pepperdine's 4-1 win over Wake Forest in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
In seven seasons working under Pepperdine Director of Tennis Adam Schaechterle, Schmid helped the Pepperdine men's tennis team reaffirm its place among the nation's best mid-major teams. During his first five seasons, the Waves have advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament three times and have been ranked in the top 25 twice. Schmid was named the ITA's Regional Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021 and 2022.
“Our players are going to love playing for Tassilo,” said Schaechterle in August 2018 at the time of Schmid's hiring. “He coaches with a lot of energy and passion, and he cares deeply about his players as people. Because of his ability to connect and build deep relationships, Tassilo can demand a very high standard while keeping the process fun. He is a perfect fit for our program.”
He was previously a volunteer assistant coach at Florida State, where he helped the Seminoles reach the NCAA Tournament in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“I am very excited to be part of the Pepperdine family and to have the opportunity to work with a program with such tradition,” said Schmid at his hiring. “I look forward to working with Adam and learning from one of the best coaches in the country.”
Schmid played for two seasons for Mississippi State under former Pepperdine women's tennis coach Per Nilsson, helping lead the Bulldogs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015. He ranked as high as No. 63 in singles and No. 46 in doubles in 2015. He was twice named to the Academic All-SEC team and was named the ITA Southern Region’s Most Improved Player in 2015.
Prior to Mississippi State, Schmid was an All-American at Tyler Junior College, helping lead the Apaches to a national championship in 2013 and a championship appearance in 2012. He was named the Junior College Player to Watch and was the Flight 2 national champion.
A native of Stuttgart, Germany, Schmid was one of the top juniors in his age group before heading to the United States. He graduated from Mississippi State in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
