The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
E-mail: justin.butsch@athletics.utexas.edu
4th season at Texas
Justin Butsch is in his fourth season on the coaching staff at The University of Texas and his third year as Assistant Coach. After serving as volunteer assistant in 2022, Butsch was named Assistant Coach on July 1, 2022.
During his first two seasons in Austin, Butsch has helped guide Texas to a 73-15 (.830) overall dual-match record, including a 28-3 (.903) mark in Big 12 Conference play. The Longhorns have won one National Championship (2022), advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals twice, claimed a Big 12 regular season championship (2023) and earned a pair of Big 12 Tournament titles. Butsch has helped tutor three ITA singles All-Americans (Peyton Stearns, Kylie Collins in 2022 and Malaika Rapolu in 2024) and one pair of ITA doubles All-Americans (Stearns and Allura Zamarripa in 2022).
In 2024, Texas posted a 23-6 overall record, including 12-1 in the Big 12, finishing second only to No. 1 Oklahoma State before going on to the NCAA Sweet 16. During the year, the Longhorn posted five top-15 wins, and of their six losses, all came to foes ranked in the top 16 with five to the top eight, and four to the top three with three of those being 4-3 decisions.
Malaika Rapolu compiled a 36-7 overall record, including 18-3 in dual matches, and earned ITA All-America honors in singles, while she was also named the ITA Texas Region Senior Player of the Year and Most Improved Player. Meanwhile, Charlotte Chavatipon was the chosen as the Big 12 Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The team was recognized with four All-Big 12 selections, including Rapolu on the first team in singles and doubles, Chavatipon and Tanya Sasnouskaya on the second team in singles, and the duo of Rapolu and Sasnouskaya on the first team in doubles. The team also registered several individual position champions in Chavatipon as co-No. 3 in singles, Taisiya Pachkaleva at No. 4 singles, Vivian Ovrootsky at No. 5 singles, and the pair of Rapolu and Sasnouskaya as co-No. 1 in doubles.
The Longhorns finished the 2023 season with a 24-5 overall record and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals before dropping a hard-fought 4-2 decision to eventual National Champion North Carolina. Texas claimed the Big 12 regular season (8-1 record) and tournament titles and were tabbed No. 7 in the final ITA national rankings. The Longhorns closed the year by winning 14 of their final 16 matches, with 12 of the 14 victories coming against opponents who were nationally ranked, including five top-25 foes. Included in the run was a dramatic 4-3 victory over No. 9 Pepperdine in the NCAA Austin Super Regional.
The Longhorns had a total of five players claim spots on the All-Big 12 Conference awards teams. Nicole Khirin became the third student-athlete in Big 12 Women’s Tennis history to earn both Player and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season. Taisiya Pachkaleva was tabbed the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. Khirin and Charlotte Chavatipon were selected to the All-Big 12 singles first team, and Sabina Zeynalova was picked to the All-Big 12 singles second team. The duo of Chavatipon and Zeynalova were selected to the All-Big 12 doubles first team. In addition, Khirin and Nicole Rivkin were named to the league’s All-Freshman team. Four Longhorns also were selected as Big 12 individual champions in singles: Khirin (No. 1), Zeynalova (No. 3), Pachkaleva (No. 4) and Rivkin (No. 6).
During the 2022 season at Texas, the Longhorns posted a 26-4 dual-match record and captured their second-straight and fourth NCAA team title in program history with a 4-1 victory against Oklahoma in the championship match. Butsch played a significant role in the development of Peyton Stearns, who won the Class of 2022 Honda Sport Award for Tennis and earned ITA National Player of the Year recognition. Stearns became the first player in program history to win the NCAA Singles championship and concluded the year with a 33-2 overall record in singles play.
Stearns earned ITA singles All-America honors for the second straight year, while Kylie Collins claimed ITA singles All-America honors for the first time. Collins advanced to the Round of 16 at the NCAA Singles Championship. Stearns and Allura Zamarripa garnered ITA doubles All-America honors, as the pair advanced to the quarterfinals at the NCAA Doubles Championship. Stearns was tabbed the Big 12 Player of the Year and was joined by Sabina Zeynalova on the All-Big 12 singles first team, while Charlotte Chavatipon and Collins were selected to the All-Big 12 singles second team. Stearns and Allura Zamarripa were picked to the All-Big 12 doubles first team, while the duo of Collins and Chavatipon were chosen to the All-Big 12 doubles second team.
Prior to his time on the Texas coaching staff, Butsch played professionally for four years (2018-21). He recorded career high ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals) world rankings of No. 678 in singles (Nov. 16, 2020) and No. 415 in doubles (March 2, 2020). Butsch claimed five ITF (International Tennis Federation) doubles titles and was a singles finalist in two ITF events.
Butsch was a four-year letterwinner, three-time team captain and two-time All-SEC performer at Louisiana State University from 2013-17. During his four seasons in Baton Rouge, Butsch posted 93 career singles wins which ranked No. 10 on the school’s all-time singles victories list at the time. He also registered a 76-54 career doubles record for the Tigers. Butsch achieved career-high ITA rankings of No. 27 nationally in singles and No. 17 in doubles.
As a senior in 2016-17, Butsch recorded 22 singles victories and claimed a spot on the All-SEC second team. He competed with partner Jordan Daigle in the 2017 NCAA Doubles Championship and concluded the year at No. 27 in the final ITA doubles rankings and No. 82 in the final ITA singles rankings. Butsch received All-SEC second-team honors during his junior year in 2015-16, when he compiled a team-high 24 singles wins and ended the year at No. 78 in the final ITA singles national rankings. He also earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman Team during his initial season in Baton Rouge in 2013-14.
A native of Miami, Fla., Butsch earned his bachelor’s degree from LSU in sports administration in December 2017. Following graduation, Butsch served as a graduate assistant coach at LSU in the Fall of 2018.
He is married to the former Lily Landry with the couple wed in New Orleans in October 2024.
