Emily Dush Named Assistant Coach for Mustang Women's Tennis
7/25/2023 4:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Cal Poly women's tennis head coach Ellie Edles Williams announced the newest addition to her 2023-24 coaching staff Tuesday with Emily Dush set to join the program as an assistant coach for the upcoming season.
"I'm thrilled to bring Emily on board and have her join the coaching staff," Williams said. "Emily had tremendous collegiate success as a player, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do on the coaching side. Her philosophy and desire for wanting to mentor student-athletes is going to be a great fit for our program."
Dush, originally from Loveland, Colo., recently wrapped up her fifth and final year of collegiate tennis at Colorado State this spring after spending the previous four seasons at Utah. She is eager to get to work and help the Mustangs continue their recent record-breaking success.
"First off, I want to thank Ellie and the Cal Poly staff and administration for this amazing opportunity," she said. "After five years of playing, I'm really excited to see how things work on the other side and help student-athletes excel on and off the tennis courts."
As a graduate student at Colorado State in 2022-23, Dush earned All-Mountain West doubles honors with playing partner Radka Buzkova at the No. 1 spot and helped the Rams reach unprecedented heights as the team recorded their most wins in a single season in program history, finishing with a 16-8 mark. The Rams ended the season ranked No. 67 in the final ITA poll and sixth in the Mountain Region.
Last summer, Dush worked at RISE Athletic Club in Salt Lake City teaching tennis lessons and serving as a hitting partner and coach. Throughout college, Dush coached a handful of adults on the side and in high school she volunteered at a weekly tennis clinic put on by the Wounded Warrior Project.
Dush lived in Chula Vista, Calif. for three years during high school and is looking forward to experiencing a part of the state she isn't very familiar with and working in the perfect college town. Having just finished her collegiate career, Dush, 23, believes she'll be able to relate extremely well with the players and build a strong relationship with each of them.
"I know what it's like to be a college athlete, especially in this day of age with technology and the way things are changing," she said. "I have a similar mindset and I just want to do whatever I can to help student-athletes and be someone for them."
During her one year at Colorado State, Dush posted a 16-10 overall record in singles and a 13-14 overall mark in doubles. Prior to her time in Fort Collins, Dush played at Utah for four years, compiling a record of 37-29 in doubles and 33-36 in singles.
As a senior for the Utes, Dush qualified for the 2021 ITA Women's All-American Championships in doubles and tallied 16 doubles wins on the season. Dush and doubles partner Anatasia Goncharova finished the year at No. 5 in the final ITA Mountain Region rankings and achieved a national ranking of No. 54 during the season.
Dush played primarily at the No. 1 doubles position and No. 2 singles spot during her junior season with the Utes, posting a 6-1 record in singles play in the ITA Mountain Region. During the COVID-19 shortened season in 2019-20, Dush earned a team-high nine dual singles wins as a sophomore.
Dush graduated from Laurel Springs School in 2018. Coming out of high school, Dush was tabbed as a four-star recruit and ranked top 75 in the nation in her class.
Dush received countless ITA and conference academic honors throughout her collegiate career. She earned a bachelor's in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Utah in 2022 and obtained her master's in tourism and travel services management from Colorado State in May.
"I'm thrilled to bring Emily on board and have her join the coaching staff," Williams said. "Emily had tremendous collegiate success as a player, and I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do on the coaching side. Her philosophy and desire for wanting to mentor student-athletes is going to be a great fit for our program."
Dush, originally from Loveland, Colo., recently wrapped up her fifth and final year of collegiate tennis at Colorado State this spring after spending the previous four seasons at Utah. She is eager to get to work and help the Mustangs continue their recent record-breaking success.
"First off, I want to thank Ellie and the Cal Poly staff and administration for this amazing opportunity," she said. "After five years of playing, I'm really excited to see how things work on the other side and help student-athletes excel on and off the tennis courts."
As a graduate student at Colorado State in 2022-23, Dush earned All-Mountain West doubles honors with playing partner Radka Buzkova at the No. 1 spot and helped the Rams reach unprecedented heights as the team recorded their most wins in a single season in program history, finishing with a 16-8 mark. The Rams ended the season ranked No. 67 in the final ITA poll and sixth in the Mountain Region.
Last summer, Dush worked at RISE Athletic Club in Salt Lake City teaching tennis lessons and serving as a hitting partner and coach. Throughout college, Dush coached a handful of adults on the side and in high school she volunteered at a weekly tennis clinic put on by the Wounded Warrior Project.
Dush lived in Chula Vista, Calif. for three years during high school and is looking forward to experiencing a part of the state she isn't very familiar with and working in the perfect college town. Having just finished her collegiate career, Dush, 23, believes she'll be able to relate extremely well with the players and build a strong relationship with each of them.
"I know what it's like to be a college athlete, especially in this day of age with technology and the way things are changing," she said. "I have a similar mindset and I just want to do whatever I can to help student-athletes and be someone for them."
During her one year at Colorado State, Dush posted a 16-10 overall record in singles and a 13-14 overall mark in doubles. Prior to her time in Fort Collins, Dush played at Utah for four years, compiling a record of 37-29 in doubles and 33-36 in singles.
As a senior for the Utes, Dush qualified for the 2021 ITA Women's All-American Championships in doubles and tallied 16 doubles wins on the season. Dush and doubles partner Anatasia Goncharova finished the year at No. 5 in the final ITA Mountain Region rankings and achieved a national ranking of No. 54 during the season.
Dush played primarily at the No. 1 doubles position and No. 2 singles spot during her junior season with the Utes, posting a 6-1 record in singles play in the ITA Mountain Region. During the COVID-19 shortened season in 2019-20, Dush earned a team-high nine dual singles wins as a sophomore.
Dush graduated from Laurel Springs School in 2018. Coming out of high school, Dush was tabbed as a four-star recruit and ranked top 75 in the nation in her class.
Dush received countless ITA and conference academic honors throughout her collegiate career. She earned a bachelor's in communications with an emphasis in journalism from Utah in 2022 and obtained her master's in tourism and travel services management from Colorado State in May.
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