EMAIL: Aurelien.Tave@tamucc.edu
RECRUITS: See Islander Tennis Recruiting Guidelines and Online Questionnaire
• Led Islanders to NCAA Championships as #1 player, Assistant Coach and Associate Head Coach
• Coached Islanders men and women to 12 NCAA Tournament appearances (6 men/6 women)
• Coached men and women to 23 Southland Conference titles (12 men/11 women)
- Led both Islanders Men and women to Southland Championship and NCAA Tournament in 2014, 2021 and 2023
- 1 of only 29 Universities in NCAA D-1 w both teams at 2023 NCAA's
• Team captain and #1 player on Islanders' teams reaching the NCAA D-I Top 60 national rankings in back-to-back seasons
• Helped Islanders reach historic success in Southland -- 1-of-4 sports ever to win 10 titles
• 3.0 team GPA in 37 straight semesters
• Led men's team to NCAA national ranking in each year he has coached
Associate Head Coach, Aurelien Tave, entered his 12th season on the coaching staff in 2023.
Most recently, he coached the Islanders to three championships and two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2021, and the same in 2023. This past season, the NCAA Tournament and combined to win three championships. A&M-Corpus Christi was one of 29 Division I schools in America with both the men and women at the NCAA Championships. It was the third consecutive appearance for the women after also winning the conference tournament in 2022.
In 2021, the men completed a dominant season by winning both the SLC regular season and SLC Tournament titles, while the women swept through the SLC Tournament in a trio of 4-0 victories.
A former No. 1 singles and doubles player for the Islanders and former team captain, Tave began his coaching career as a student assistant coach with the Islanders. Since then, Tave has been promoted to an assistant coach and then the associate head coach in fall 2016.
As a player, Tave had the winningest record on the team in 2011 for an Islanders team that reached No. 54 in Division I National Rankings. He played No. 1 singles, doubles and was team captain of an Islanders team that won back-to-back Southland Conference Championships and had back-to-back years in the national rankings.
“Aurelien was one of the toughest and smartest players I’ve ever coached,” Director of Tennis Steve Moore said. “He truly got every bit out of his talent and was respected nationally for how tough and smart he played. Aurelien does a great job of conveying that toughness and intelligent tennis to our players, he is tremendously well liked and respected by the teams. He was that guy on the team who did everything right, the kind of guy you really appreciate as a coach.
“I believe the Aure is emerging as one of the top young coaches in the country. He has all the qualities it takes to be a great coach - strong character, leadership and work ethic. He’s very good on the court and great mind for the game. He is not afraid to tackle the tough parts of this job like the relentless dog fight of modern recruiting, gameplans and scouting, travel and helping run the big events we put on here. He is extremely loyal to the Islanders and cares deeply about the players . I consider Aure a great asset for our program. He is an elite Associate Head Coach for both men’s and women’s teams, and has been a huge factor in our team’s success.”
He assists Coach Moore in all aspects of the program; from recruiting, planning, setup and running practice, team travel, itineraries, fundraising and running the numerous tournaments held at the Thomas J. Henry Tennis Center.
Tave has joined Islanders’ legends, who developed into high lineup players such as Dmitry Novikov, James Langford and Matt Westmoreland.
“What impresses me the most about Aurelien is he developed from a No. 4 to a No. 1 player in just a year,” Moore added. “To improve that quickly requires tremendous discipline, commitment and work ethic. Those are great attributes that he can teach our young players.”
“Aure has brought so much character, leadership and heart to our program for the past 13 years. He’s truly a great coach, man and role model for these young, impressionable Islanders. He leads by example and walks the walk. He has been such a blessing to the Islanders since his arrival, and is so highly respected by the players and coaches. Aure is a truly special Islander and pillar of this program.” - Coach Moore
