Coach Carless and Men’s Tennis Add Liberty Transfer Ernst Gouws
6/1/2026 4:00:00 PM | Men's Tennis
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Head Coach Nick Carless, entering his 16th season at the helm of Cal Poly Men’s Tennis, and the Mustangs are excited to announce the addition of transfer Ernst Gouws from Liberty University.
A native of Stellenbosch, South Africa, Gouws arrives at Cal Poly with two years of eligibility remaining and will be a redshirt junior entering the fall season. He attended the same high school as assistant coach Jurgen De Jager, creating an immediate bond between them. This signing also marks the second consecutive year that Carless and De Jager have brought in an upperclassman from a high-level Division I program.
Gouws brings a wealth of collegiate experience to Cal Poly, holding a career singles record of 22-18 and a doubles mark of 20-13. He has been named an ITA Scholar-Athlete in each of his first three seasons and is known for his passion, grit, athleticism, and positive, powerful mindset.
He enjoyed his greatest success during the 2024-25 season as a redshirt freshman, posting a 3-1 record at the ITA Atlantic Regional and earning the Conference USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal along with a spot on the CSC Academic All-District Team. Most recently, in the 2025-26 season, Gouws recorded a 6-6 singles record and a 5-3 doubles mark.
Before being recruited by Liberty, Gouws had a decorated prep career. He rose to No. 1 in the South African junior tennis rankings, was the doubles runner-up at the South Africa U18 national championship in 2021, won the Cape Town and Durban Growthpoint Super 8 tournaments, and served as captain and No. 1 player for his high school team.
Ernst brings a wealth of experience. As a transfer from Liberty, he had team and individual successes that will immediately impact our team. He is a great doubles player and has a strong all court singles game and should certainly help our starting lineup upon his arrival on campus.Head Coach Nick Carless
