Courtesy of Saginaw Valley State Athletic Communications

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State University Athletics tabbed Emily Ackerman as the new head tennis coach for the Cardinals.

"I am extremely excited to add Coach Ackerman to our staff," said Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator Liz Lerczak Lee. "The passion she has for helping young women recognize their potential on and off the court is exactly what I was looking for in hiring a coach. Being a former NAIA administrator, I can't wait to see her thrive at this level."

Ackerman spent the past three seasons as the head coach for her alma mater, Grace College. She guided the Lancers to a 34-23 record in those three seasons, the second-most wins during the first three seasons for a coach in program history. She led the team to two back-to-back 11-win seasons in 2023-24 and 2024-25 and coached the team's second All-America selection (she was the first as a student-athlete) in 2024.

"I'm honored to step into this role and lead such a talented group of young ladies," stated Ackerman. "My focus is on building a strong, competitive culture where we grow both on and off the court. Unity will be at the heart of everything we do; we'll support each other, push each other, and win together. We're going to work hard, play with heart, and represent SVSU with pride."

Ackerman is no stranger to success; she played for NCAA Division I University of Toledo before transferring to Grace, where she graduated after three seasons of competition as one of the most decorated players in Lancer history. She was a three-time all-conference honoree and finished her career with a 74-22 overall record (36-12 in singles, 38-10 in doubles) to put her top three in the team's record book for overall, singles, and doubles winning percentage.

Prior to the head coaching position at Grace, Ackerman was the assistant coach for the Lancers in the Fall of 2021 before becoming the interim head coach for the Spring. She was also the head girls' tennis coach at Tippecanoe Valley High School as well as a coach for boys tennis at Whitko High School.