Gonzaga women's tennis head coach
Natalie Pluskota-Hamberg announced the addition of Andrew Connolly to her staff as an assistant coach.
"I am excited to add Andrew to our Zag family!" Pluskota-Hamberg said. "He brings a ton of creativity and experience to recruiting, as well as, successful development of student-athletes both on and off court. Not only will he positively impact our program but he will have tremendous impact on our surrounding Gonzaga community. Looking forward to getting him on campus soon!"
Connolly will join Gonzaga from UTSA, where he spent the last two seasons. He was part of a 14-win in 2023 and a 17-win season in 2024. In both seasons, UTSA advanced to the conference championship in Conference USA (2023) and the American Athletic Conference (2024). He has coached two all-conference selections and five ITA Scholar-Athletes through his two seasons.
Most recently in 2024, the 'Runners started off the season by going 9-3 and eventually finishing the season with a 9-0 record at home, marking the first undefeated home slate since 1992. UTSA also picked up critical victories on the road, toppling 55th-ranked Florida Atlantic, 4-3, for the highest-ranked win in the 21st century. The Roadrunners concluded the year with a 17-7 record for the most wins since 2003 and third-most in program history. The squad climbed to 61st in the ITA National Rankings, representing the school's highest-ever rankings.
"I am absolutely thrilled to become part of Gonzaga University and the Zags tennis family," Connolly said. "I am grateful to Coach Pluskota-Hamberg for giving me the chance to contribute to a university that prioritizes a standard of excellence and empowering student-athletes. I look forward to learning from and coaching alongside her as we support our student-athletes in their holistic development. Gonzaga is a special place, and I cannot wait to join Coach Pluskota-Hamberg and continue to build on the program's rich tradition of excellence! Go Zags!"
Prior to UTSA, Connolly was at Wingate, where he was a graduate assistant from 2020-22. During his time with the Bulldogs, the men's team finished 26-12 and the women went 32-10, making an NCAA Tournament appearance in each of the four seasons of play. Wingate also dominated in the South Atlantic Conference action over Connolly's two seasons on staff, with three regular-season conference championships and the 2021 Women's SAC Tournament title.
Under Connolly's tutelage, the men reached as high as No. 20 in 2022 and No. 12 in 2021. The women were also a top-15 program in the country over Connolly's time, reaching highs of 11 and 12 in the national polls in 2022 and '21, respectively.
Before beginning his coaching career, Connolly graduated from NAIA national powerhouse Keiser University in 2019. While at Keiser, Connolly helped lead the Seahawks to three consecutive Sun Conference Championships from 2017-2019 as well as a No. 2 NAIA national ranking in 2018. During his time there, the Seahawks advanced to the NAIA National Championships Semi-Finals in 2017 and the Finals in 2018.
