Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Volunteer Assistant Coach
- Email:
- esmith@athletics.ucla.edu
Errol Smith completed his second season as volunteer assistant coach for UCLA womenโs tennis in 2023. He was named to the position on Stella Sampras Websterโs staff Oct. 14, 2021.
Smith provided on-court guidance for Fangran Tian as the freshman made her run to the NCAA singles championship without dropping a set in 2023. There was also team success that year, as the Bruins beat top-five powers Ohio State and Pepperdine before knocking off No. 6 overall seed Duke for a spot in the NCAA Championships super-regional round. UCLA went 7-1 in Pac-12 play during the dual-match portion of the 2021-22 season, Smithโs first in the coaching ranks.
A born-and-raised Angeleno, Smith starred for Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, Calif. before taking his talents to Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he spent four seasons until graduating in 2018. He then embarked on a professional career and has since been a regular on the ITF Tennis Tour.
Smithโs best result on tour thus far came soon after his graduation from LMU, when he advanced through qualifying to reach the singles semifinal round at the Tunisia F33 Futures event in 2018. He logged quarterfinal-round showings at the M15 Cancun and M25 Iowa City, IA stops in 2019. On the doubles side, Smith made the M15 Monastir semifinals in 2019 and has four quarterfinal-round finishes.
Standing 6-6, Smith turned in 15 or more singles wins during each of the three seasons he suited up for the Lions and posted a 48-33 overall record. He went 34-30 in doubles play. Smith redshirted in 2016-17.
Coming off the missed campaign, Smith closed his collegiate career in impressive fashion. He went 15-6 in singles matches and registered an 11-4 doubles mark as the 2017-18 team went 19-6 to give the LMU its highest single-season win total since establishing a program record in 2002. Smith twice garnered West Coast Conference (WCC) Singles Player of the Week accolades and was once tabbed the leagueโs Doubles Team of the Week, with partner Diego Nava, in 2018.
Smith collected a career-high 18 singles wins in 2016, with a majority of his dual-match decisions coming on Court 2. He received All-WCC Second Team Singles recognition as a result. Smith also had 11 doubles victories across tournament and dual-match competitions. Nearly all his dual-match doubles contests occurred on the top court.
Smith was named the 2015 WCC Freshman of the Year after he recorded a 15-11 singles record and added a dozen doubles triumphs. He exclusively occupied the top two singles spots and was most frequently slotted on the top doubles court. Smith made the All-WCC Singles Honorable Mention list.
Smithโs father, also named Errol, reached No. 96 in the ATP singles rankings under his middle name, Roger. A native of The Bahamas, Roger regularly partnered in doubles play with fellow countryman Mark Knowles, who was a standout at UCLA from 1990-92. Roger played collegiately at Ohio State from 1982-86, totaling a then-program-record 204 singles wins.
