University of San Francisco Athletics

The USF men’s and women’s tennis teams held their final home matches last weekend, marking an end to one of the university’s historic athletic programs, following the April 5 announcement of their discontinuation. Both the men’s and women’s matches garnered a supportive turnout from USF fans, alumni and fellow student-athletes.

Athletic Director Larry Williams and Vice President of Business and Finance Charlie Cross stated in their email announcing the program’s cancellations that they will support tennis players who chose to stay at the university. “Whatever they decide, we will stand with them. We will honor the scholarship commitments impacted student-athletes were awarded if they remain at USF.”  

The alumni were also welcomed to the court to be recognized. Following group photos with the tennis team, alumni Marisa Louie Stone, who played for the women’s team from 1976 to 1980, said, “I came out to celebrate with the team. It’s a shame that it’s their last match. The coaches are awesome. It’s a good experience for the girls. It’s such a shame that they had to cancel the team. I’m hoping that at some point, they’ll figure some way out to turn that around (USFAthletics).”