Anghelescu named Penn State women's tennis head coach

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Sandy Barbour has selected Alexandra Anghelescu as the 11th head coach of the women’s tennis program. A former professional on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tour, Anghelescu spent the 2018-19 season as an assistant coach with the Nittany Lions.

“I’m thrilled to announce Alex as the new leader of Penn State women’s tennis,” Barbour said. “Alex will bring an energy, excitement and a focus to our program, from which she will lead us to success on and off the court. She has demonstrated the ability to create high achievement at every level of the game of tennis; collegiately as a player, in the professional ranks and as a collegiate assistant coach. I’m excited to see the young women in our program thrive under her guidance and leadership.”

“I would like to thank Sandy Barbour, Charmelle Green and Michael Cross for giving me the opportunity to continue being a part of the Penn State family and lead the women’s tennis program to the elite level it deserves as its new head coach,” Anghelescu said. “My vision for this program cannot be achieved without the continuous support and guidance from everyone who was involved in the hiring process. I know with their support, the goals I have set for this program will be fulfilled.

“I am very excited and motivated to take on this challenge as I believe Penn State is a place where students can reach their academic and athletic goals and aspirations,” she added. “We Are!!”

Anghelescu helped lead the Nittany Lions to 11 wins during the 2019 spring season, the team's most dual-match victories since 2015. The Nittany Lions reached a team ranking of No. 49 this past spring, their first top-50 ranking since the 2016 season. Penn State also knocked off then-No. 48 VCU for its first win over a ranked opponent since 2015.

Anghelescu has helped to develop stronger spring and fall schedules during her time in Happy Valley under former coach Chris Cagle, in addition to working with the budget, structuring practice, and as a liaison with the Morgan Academic Center.

Prior to matriculating to Penn State, Anghelescu played and coached at two Atlantic Coast Conference institutions.

Anghelescu served as a volunteer assistant coach at North Carolina during the 2017-18 season. She helped the Tar Heels win the ITA National Indoor Championship, the 2018 ACC Tournament, and earn the nation’s No. 1 ranking for 10 consecutive weeks. North Carolina finished the 2017-18 season with five All-Americans, had five players take part in the NCAA Individual Championships, and had a doubles squad advance to the NCAA semifinals.

Prior to joining the Tar Heels’ staff, Anghelescu served as a certified tennis professional working with junior players of all levels at Life Time Fitness in Alpharetta, Georgia, in addition to serving as a 2018 USTA National Spring Team Championships coach. She also worked with the USTA Southern Section High Performance Camp as a selected coach.

Anghelescu spent her collegiate playing days at Georgia and Georgia Tech. She achieved an ITA top-10 ranking in doubles at Georgia Tech, helping the Yellow Jackets to a consistent top-15 national ranking and round of 16 appearances at the ITA National Indoor Championships and the NCAA Championships.

A native of John’s Creek, Georgia, Anghelescu reached a high ranking of No. 935 as a professional on the WTA Tour in singles action and No. 957 in WTA doubles. Her top win in juniors was a victory over 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens.

Anghelescu graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Georgia Tech in 2014.