The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Zavala named Women’s Tennis assistant coach
08.19.2026 | Women's Tennis
Avery Zavala, a former assistant coach and player at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, who was a two-time all-conference selection, joins the Longhorns’ staff.
Austin – Avery Zavala, a former assistant coach and player at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, who was a two-time all-conference selection as a player, is joining the Texas Women's Tennis program as assistant coach, head coach Howard Joffe announced Wednesday.
"Over two decades into my coaching career, I'm jubilant about our hiring of Avery Zavala," Joffe said. "He is a really accomplished tennis standout and coach, but he is also super intelligent, driven, principled, kind and motivated. I'm even more excited for our young team to have the opportunity to learn and profit from Avery."
"I'm incredibly grateful and excited for the opportunity to join the Texas Women's Tennis program," Zavala said. "The tradition, culture, and standard of excellence at Texas are second to none, and I'm looking forward to contributing to the continued success of this program. It's an honor to represent the Burnt Orange, and I'm proud to be part of such a special culture."
Zavala comes to the 40 Acres after spending the last two seasons as assistant coach for both the women's and men's teams at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. In his first year with the Islanders, both teams captured the Southland Conference regular season championship. The women's team posted a 25-3 overall record with an 8-1 conference mark, while the men went 21-5 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the conference.
The 2026 season saw continued success with the women registering an 18-5 overall record and 6-3 mark in the Southland before the team reached the conference tournament final. The men recorded a 17-5 overall record, along with going 3-2 in the conference, and went on to win the Southland Tournament title and advance to the NCAA Tournament where they faced Texas in the first round in Austin.
Over two years playing with the Islanders, Zavala played at No. 1 in singles and doubles in both. He was a two-time All-Conference First Team selection at No. 1 doubles, including clinching the doubles point in the finals of the 2023 conference tournament to help A&M-Corpus Christi to a 4-3 win and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. He had entered the NCAA Tournament that season on an 11-match winning-streak in doubles.
Zavala was also an All-Conference Second Team honoree his senior year for No. 1 singles after going 11-7 overall and 3-1 in conference, which was tied for league-best record at that top spot. He went undefeated in doubles throughout the conference slate that year. Overall, his playing career with Islanders men's tennis saw a 29-11 doubles record and 26-16 singles record.
Prior to A&M-Corpus Christi, Zavala played two seasons at Arkansas and posted a 6-2 dual record in singles. He registered singles wins against Alabama, Kentucky, Omaha, Oral Roberts and Saint Louis. He additionally earned SEC All-Academic honors during his time with the Razorbacks.
Immediately after college, Zavala played on the ATP professional tour where he saw success in several doubles tournaments.
Zavala graduated from A&M-Corpus Christi in May 2024 with his bachelor's degree in accounting. He has continued his education working toward his MBA in finance at TAMCC.
