Bill Vahle is returning to the men's and women's tennis coaching staff after he retired in 2017. In the 2016-17 season, Vahle completed his 12th season as head coach of the tennis program.
Vahle has won a combined 209 games between the two programs over the last 11 years. His men’s team is 109-93-1 and has won one conference championship. The women’s program is 100-112-1 during his era and it has won two conference championships. Vahle was named the Women’s NAIA Regional Coach of the Year for the 2006-07 season.
Since joining the MIAA in 2012-13, Vahle has helped Lindenwood win 15 all-conference honors. Off the court, it has won 63 academic honor roll awards, eight MIAA Scholar-Athlete awards, and seven MIAA Academic Excellence honors. Men’s tennis player Yoshikazu Ysa earned Academic All-District honors in 2014, the first tennis player at Lindenwood to win that accolade, and Filip Bogic won the same honor in 2016.
The men’s team has had six seasons of .500 play or better over the last 11 years. It had one of the top teams in program history in 2007-08. That squad finished the year with a 20-5 overall record. It earned a berth in the NAIA National Tournament despite the team losing their No. 1 player due to an injury, and it finished the year ranked No. 16 in the NAIA. The 2014-15 men’s team made program history by winning its first MIAA Tournament game with a 5-4 victory over Emporia State.
The women’s team has finished .500 or better five times. The 2006-07 squad was the best in program history as it went 20-4 on the year. It won both the HAAC and NAIA Regional Tournaments, and then advanced to the second-round of the NAIA Tournament. The 2009-10 team also won the HAAC Tournament and advanced to nationals.
In addition to his duties as head of the tennis program, Vahle’s primary focus is as an Associate Professor of Management in the School of Business and Entrepreneurship.
