| Email: | mbrunner@stfrancishs.org |
| Title: | Head Varsity Tennis Coach |
Two-time All-American and 2005 NCAA champion Matt Brunner took over as head coach for the St. Francis girls' varsity tennis program in July 2024.
Brunner is no stranger to the area tennis community, having graduated as a four-year Sac-Joaquin Section champ from nearby Jesuit High School in 2001. He went on to a successful four-year career at UC Santa Cruz. In his senior year, he teamed with Matt Seeberger to capture the NCAA Division III doubles championship while helping the Banana Slugs snare the overall team title. Brunner completed his degree in politics and environmental studies in that spring of 2005.
Brunner stayed near his collegiate alma mater with his first foray into coaching at the Santa Cruz Tennis Academy in Aptos, then later returned to the Sacramento area as a coach for the Folsom-based Broadstone Racquet Club from 2009 to 2019. Brunner then relocated to Fair Oaks in 2019 to become tennis director at Rollingwood Athletic Club. Rollingwood later partnered with JMG Tennis in 2021, and will become the Troubies' home court under Brunner's tutelage.
During his time at Broadstone, Brunner served as an assistant coach for the girls' team at Oak Ridge High. Last spring, he took over as the head coach at his high school alma mater, guiding the Marauders to a 7-4 overall record and a first-round victory in the CIF-SJS Division I playoffs.
Brunner also has family connections to Troubie athletics, as his sister, Lauren, starred for the SF water polo team in the mid-2000s. He replaces Kristi Spector, who retired in the offseason after an outstanding 12-year run at the helm. Spector won five Delta League titles, posted a section title (2017) plus two runner-up finishes, and earned NFHS State Coach of the Year honors in 2019.