Jill Hultquist Hometown: Toronto, Canada Last College: Florida '87/Washington '00 Position: Head Coach Experience: 5th Year

Entering year five of her tenure, head coach Jill Hultquist has ushered in a rebirth of the women's tennis program. In just four years, Hultquist took a 3-17 team and restored stability, added depth and an influx of talent, and brought the Huskies back to national prominence. The turnaround was made official when the Huskies reached the NCAA Round of 16 in 2009 with a stunning upset of Pac-10 Champion USC.

Head Coaching Career

The team was already trending upwards every year since Hultquist took the helm in 2006, but 2009 brought a major leap as the Huskies won their first NCAA tournament match since 2005 with a 4-0 sweep of San Diego State in the first round, followed by a 4-3 toppling of the Trojans on their home courts. The win was the first ever for Washington at USC, and sent the Huskies on to the Round of 16 for the fourth time this decade but first since 2004. Washington fell to South Carolina in College Station, Texas, but with no seniors on the roster the expectation level had been raised.

Hultquist was named the Northwest Region Head Coach of the Year for her efforts in 2009, as the Huskies went 18-8 and finished the season ranked 27th. Sophomore Venise Chan earned her first All-Pac-10 First Team honor and became the third Husky ever to end the year ranked in the Top-25, finishing 25th. Joyce Ardies and Denise Dy also gelled into one of the West's top doubles teams, as they shot up to No. 30 at year's end despite playing only half the dual season together.

One year prior, Hultquist guided the Huskies back to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2005, and the Huskies climbed back into the ITA Top-40 after nearly a two-year absence. Hultquist added star freshman recruit Venise Chan, who went straight to the top of the singles lineup and reached the NCAA Singles Championship, helping to change the tenor of the program.

A former standout on the pro tour and in the collegiate ranks, Hultquist returned to Washington after serving as an assistant coach with the Huskies from 1997-2002, and was immediately faced with a team on the ropes.

Her initial team was ravaged by injuries and roster subtractions, leaving Hultquist to scramble some afternoons just to fill a lineup, and in several matches UW could only start five singles players, forfeiting the No. 6 point.

The following year was another struggle with injuries and depth, but, things finally came together near the end of the season for the Huskies, as they posted consecutive wins over Pac-10 rivals Oregon and Washington State to end the season. The wins were the first for Hultquist in conference play, and set the stage for Washington's return to prominence in 2008.

The 2008 Huskies won nine of their first ten matches and would go on to defeat seven ranked opponents including 12th-ranked Arizona State and 28th-ranked BYU. The Huskies swept both Arizona schools, and the thrilling 4-3 win over the Sun Devils was UW's first over a Top-25 team since 2005. After starting the season ranked 70th by the ITA, Washington had cut that number in half and entered the postseason at No. 35.

Assistant Coaching Tenure

Hultquist is the fourth head coach in program history, and succeeded Patty McCain, whom Hultquist worked with as an assistant for five seasons. During her first tour of duty at UW, Hultquist helped lead the Huskies to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including a school record trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2001. In fact, it was Hultquist who served as the acting head coach for the team during its Elite Eight run, as McCain was unable to travel to Stone Mountain, Ga., due to the impending birth of her first child. That run included a Sweet-16 victory over fifth-ranked Tennessee.

Hultquist was named the National Assistant Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association in 2001. She was also selected as the ITA Northwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year in both 2000 and 2001.

Among the players Hultquist mentored in her previous tenure at Washington were all four All-Americans in school history: Claire Carter, Kristina Kraszewski, Dea Sumantri and Darija Klaic. Carter, Washington's only four-time All-American, was a member of Hultquist's staff serving as her assistant coach in 2006.

Playing Career

Before joining the coaching ranks at Washington, Hultquist played professionally on the WTA Tour from 1987-1997, winning more than 20 doubles titles. She ranked as high as sixth in the world in doubles and 64th in the world in singles. Hultquist teamed with McCain on the doubles circuit, and among their victories was a win over Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini in the semifinals of the 1988 U.S. Open. They also advanced to the finals of the 1989 Australian Open.

Hultquist reached the mixed doubles finals of the French Open in 1995 and competed in the Olympic Games for Canada in 1984, 1988 and 1996. She and Patricia Hy-Boulais advanced to the quarterfinals in Atlanta before falling to eventual bronze medalists Jana Novotna and Helena Sulcova of the Czech Republic.

Hultquist garnered a number of achievements during her years on the WTA, including the WTA Tour Sportsmanship Award, the Tennis Canada Sportsmanship Award and the 1988 Player of the Year Award in Canada. She is a member of the Tennis Canada Hall of Fame.

Also a standout collegian, Hultquist earned four All-America certificates at the University of Florida, while studying psychology from 1983-1987. She was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame in the spring of 1999. She ended up earning her bachelor of arts degree in psychology from Washington in 2000.

A native of Toronto, Canada, Hultquist and her husband Rich have two children, Jack (7) and Maggie (5). The family resides in Renton, Wash.