Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- srearnsh@ncsu.edu
Set to enter his 12th season with the Pack in 2025–26, Simon Earnshaw has elevated the NC State women’s tennis program since being named head coach on May 30, 2014. A nine-time national champion with 25 combined coaching awards, Earnshaw came to NC State following a historic 15-year run leading both the men’s and women’s programs at Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, Ga. He is a two-time ACC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year (2019, 2023) and has guided NC State to nine straight NCAA Championship bids, the longest streak in program history.
In 2025, Earnshaw guided the Wolfpack to their sixth consecutive NCAA Sweet 16 appearance, finishing the dual season 19–7 with 11 ranked wins despite a roster without seniors. The team also excelled academically, with all eight student-athletes earning spots on the ACC All-Academic team, continuing NC State’s tradition of success on and off the court.
During the 2024 season, NC State returned to the NCAA Super Regional for the fifth straight year before falling to Stanford in the Sweet 16. The Wolfpack finished 22–9 in dual play, spent the entire season ranked in the national top 15, and climbed as high as No. 4.
In 2023, Earnshaw led NC State to the program’s winningest season ever with 28 wins. The Wolfpack captured the ACC tournament championship over No. 1 North Carolina and advanced to the national championship final to rematch the Tar Heels, marking the 13th championship appearance in program history. NC State featured four All-ACC players, three NCAA singles participants, and two doubles teams in the NCAA tournament, maintaining a streak of multiple ITA All-Americans.
In 2022, Earnshaw became the winningest head coach in NC State women’s tennis history. The Wolfpack posted 26 dual wins, reached the ITA National Team Indoor Championships semifinal for the first time, and advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals for a second consecutive year. NC State players Jaeda Daniel and Nell Miller captured the program’s first NCAA doubles title, and Abigail Rencheli reached the singles quarterfinal to earn All-America honors. Adriana Reami and Anna Rogers became the winningest singles and doubles players in school history under his guidance.
In 2021, Earnshaw guided NC State to its deepest postseason run to that point in program history, as the Wolfpack reached the NCAA Final Four. It was the team’s first time advancing past the Sweet 16 and marked the first national semifinal appearance for any NC State team since 1998. The Wolfpack went 20–6 in dual matches, with 10 wins over nationally ranked opponents, including four against top-10 teams. NC State tied its best conference finish of third place and hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history. During the postseason, the Wolfpack set program records with four players honored as All-Americans, four singles players and four doubles teams featured in the final national rankings, and achieved a program-best No. 6 season-ending national ranking. Anna Rogers earned recognition as the nation’s Most Improved Senior under Earnshaw’s guidance.
In 2020, NC State set program marks before the season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. Through its first 21 matches, the Wolfpack posted its best start in history at 18–3 and earned five victories over top-25 opponents. NC State reached a program-best No. 3 national ranking in January 2020, showcasing the team’s dominance before play was suspended.
In 2019, Earnshaw guided the Wolfpack to record-setting performances across the board. NC State set program records for overall wins (24) and ACC wins (11), finishing the season 24–7 overall and 11–3 in league play. The team earned its first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance after hosting the first and second rounds of the tournament. Anna Rogers and Smith reached the NCAA Doubles Championship Elite Eight, a program first, while Rogers became the third Pack player to advance to the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship. NC State finished No. 11 in the final Oracle/ITA Division I rankings, then a program-best, and made its first trip to the ITA Indoor National Championships with victories over Mississippi State and Florida. Historic wins also included the program’s first over Miami (Fla.) and its first over Georgia Tech since 1998. Rogers highlighted the season by defeating eventual NCAA Singles Champion and No. 2 Estela Perez-Somarriba in a 6–1 win over the Hurricanes.
In 2018, Earnshaw guided the Wolfpack to its third consecutive NCAA Championship selection after posting a program-best 19–15 overall and 7–7 ACC record, ending the season ranked No. 34. The ranking marked one of NC State’s four best season-ending national placements in program history over a three-year span. Under his direction, Anna Rogers and Claudia Wiktorin advanced to the NCAA Doubles Championship Sweet 16, making it the second straight year an NC State doubles tandem reached the round of 16. Rogers and Wiktorin also finished the season ranked No. 20, marking the second consecutive year Earnshaw led a doubles duo to a top-20 season-ending ranking.
During the 2017 season, Earnshaw’s third year with the program, NC State had one of its most successful campaigns to date. The Wolfpack finished 19–11 overall and 7–7 in ACC play, setting program records at the time for total wins and conference victories. The team placed fourth in the conference and earned a No. 26 final ranking in the Oracle/ITA Division I poll, both program highs. NC State advanced to the NCAA Tournament, defeating No. 35 Oregon in the first round to reach the Round of 32 for only the fourth time in program history, before falling to No. 5 Georgia. In the NCAA Individual Championships, Earnshaw coached Martina Frantova and Anna Rogers to the Sweet 16, the first time in program history that a doubles team advanced that far. Both players earned All-ACC selections for their efforts.
In 2016, Earnshaw led the Pack to its first NCAA Tournament appearance under his leadership, where the team fell in the first round. NC State finished the season 15–12, marking Earnshaw’s first winning campaign in Raleigh, and recorded five more ACC victories than the previous year.
In his first season with the Pack in 2015, Earnshaw guided the team to 11 wins, including two team victories, five singles wins, and one doubles win over ranked opponents. The squad also advanced to the second round of the ACC Championship with a 4–2 win over Wake Forest.
During his tenure at Armstrong Atlantic State University, Earnshaw directed the women’s program to six national titles and the men’s program to three. He was a four-time ITA National Women’s Coach of the Year (2004, 2006, 2009, 2012) and a 19-time Peach Belt Conference Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the AASU Hall of Fame in 2017.
A native of Holmfirth, England, Earnshaw joined Armstrong Atlantic as assistant men’s and women’s tennis coach for the 1998-99 season and was elevated to head coach a year later. Under his leadership, both programs achieved historic success.
The numbers speak for themselves: nine national titles, 12 NCAA Division II finals, 16 Final Fours, 21 NCAA quarterfinals, 35 ITA All-Americans, 30 ITA Scholar-Athletes, and 15 ITA All-Academic teams. He guided Armstrong Atlantic to an overall mark of 747-118 (.864), including a 411-35 (.922) record for women’s teams—with a 325-11 mark over the last 11 seasons (.967)—and a 336-83 (.802) record for men’s teams.
Earnshaw’s women’s programs captured six of the nine NCAA Division II crowns between 2005 and 2013, while his men’s teams won three titles in that span. His squads swept both men’s and women’s national team titles three times (2008, 2009, 2012) and posted five undefeated seasons, including a perfect 59-0 combined record in 2012.
Beyond dominating at the Division II level, Earnshaw’s players registered numerous fall tournament victories against nationally ranked opponents from all five major Division I conferences: ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12, and SEC. Both Armstrong Atlantic men’s and women’s programs also maintained excellence in the classroom, earning ITA All-Academic Team honors from 2004 to 2009, along with numerous ITA Scholar-Athlete awards. The 2006 women’s team saw all eight members earn ITA Scholar-Athlete honors, an unprecedented achievement.
A native of England, Earnshaw is a Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) qualified national-level coach. From 1993 to 1998, he also worked extensively with some of the world’s top players at the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy during the summer months.
Earnshaw earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Georgia College and State University in 1996, helping the Bobcats achieve top-10 national rankings in each of his four collegiate seasons. He went on to earn a Master of Education in health and physical education from GCSU in 1998. He and his wife, Nichole, are the parents of two daughters, Abigail and Ella, and two sons, Luke and Lleyton.
Career Record and Achievements
2023 NCAA National Championship appearance
2023 ACC Tournament Champions
2021 NCAA Final Four
11 Straight NCAA Tournament Berths
Most wins in a season in program history (28)
Most conference wins in a season in program history (11)
Coached 8 All-Americans, including the program's first
2019 & 2023 ACC Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year
NC STATE
| Year | Record | ACC Record | Final Rank | NCAA Finish |
| 2015 | 11-16 | 1-13 | -- | -- |
| 2016 | 15-12 | 6-8 | 40 | First Round |
| 2017 | 19-11 | 7-7 | 26 | Round of 32 |
| 2018 | 17-15 | 7-7 | 34 | First Round |
| 2019 | 24-7 | 11-3 | 11 | Sweet 16 |
| 2020 | 18-3 | 5-1 | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | 20-6 | 10-3 | 6 | Final Four |
| 2022 | 26-6 | 10-3 | 6 | Elite Eight |
| 2023 | 28-5 | 10-3 | 4 | Championship |
| 2024 | 22-9 | 9-4 | 16 | Sweet 16 |
| 2025 | 19-7 | 10-2 | 12 | Sweet 16 |
| Total | 219-97 | 96-54 | -- | -- |
ARMSTRONG ATLANTIC
Women's Program
| Year | Team Record | Regular Season Conf. Finish | Conference Tourney Finish | NCAA Finish |
| 2014 | 28-2 | 1st (13-0) | 1st | Runner-Up |
| 2013 | 30-1 | 1st (13-0) | 1st | Champions |
| 2012 | 29-0 | 1st (12-0) | 1st | Champions |
| 2011 | 28-3 | 1st (12-0) | 1st | Semifinalist |
| 2010 | 33-0 | 1st (12-0) | 1st | Champions |
| 2009 | 28-1 | 1st (10-0) | 1st | Champions |
| 2008 | 32-1 | 1st (10-0) | 1st | Champions |
| 2007 | 29-1 | 1st (11-0) | 1st | Semifinalist |
| 2006 | 30-1 | 1st (8-0) | 1st | Runner-Up |
| 2005 | 30-0 | 1st (10-0) | 1st | Champions |
| 2004 | 28-1 | 1st (10-0) | 1st | Semifinalist |
| 2003 | 21-7 | 2nd (9-1) | 2nd | Round of 16 |
| 2002 | 26-4 | 1st (10-0) | 1st | Runner-Up |
| 2001 | 22-6 | 2nd (9-1) | 1st | Quarterfinals |
| 2000 | 17-7 | 1st (11-0) | 2nd | Quarterfinals |
| · 411-35 Overall record |
· 13 Regular season Titles · 160-2 Conference record |
· 13 Postseason conference tournament championships |
· 6 National Championships |
Men's Program
| Year | Team Record | Regular Season Conf. Finish | Conference Tourney Finish | NCAA Finish |
| 2014 | 20-7 | T-1st (9-1) | 2nd-Final not played | Semifinalist |
| 2013 | 27-2 | 1st (10-0) | 1st | Runners-Up |
| 2012 | 30-0 | 1st (9-0) | 1st | Champions |
| 2011 | 26-1 | 1st (9-0) | 1st | Round of 16 |
| 2010 | 30-2 | 1st (9-0) | 1st | Quarterfinals |
| 2009 | 30-1 | 1st (7-1) | 1st | Champions |
| 2008 | 31-0 | 1st (8-0) | 1st | Champions |
| 2007 | 27-4 | 1st (9-0) | 1st | Quarterfinals |
| 2006 | 18-7 | 1st (6-0) | 1st | Round of 16 |
| 2005 | 22-7 | T-1st (7-1) | 1st | Semifinalist |
| 2004 | 15-11 | T-4th (4-4) | 3rd | Round of 64 |
| 2003 | 12-12 | 5th (5-3) | 4th | Round of 32 |
| 2002 | 13-12 | T-4th (4-3) | 3rd | Round of 32 |
| 2001 | 15-10 | 4th (5-3) | 4th | Round of 32 |
| 2000 | 20-7 | 1st (8-0) | 2nd | Quarterfinals |
| · 336-83 Overall record |
· 10 Regular season Titles · 109-16 Conference record |
· 9 Postseason conference tournament championships |
· 3 National Championships |
