Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach
- Email:
- jdmaren@liberty.edu
- Start Date:
- 07/05/2012
Jeff Maren served as the head coach of the Liberty women's tennis program from the summer of 2012 until the spring of 2024, building a highly successful program since his arrival. Maren is a two-time conference coach of the year, earning Big South Coach of the Year honors in 2016 and ASUN Coach of the Year recognition in 2019.
Across his 12 seasons at Liberty, Maren compiled a 184-98 overall record, including a 42-10 Big South mark, a 24-6 ASUN record, and a 5-0 CUSA mark. Under Maren’s guidance, Liberty reached the semifinals or finals of the conference tournament in each of his 11 full spring seasons (six times in Big South, four times in ASUN, one time in CUSA), including two Big South championship match appearances (2016, 2018), one ASUN Championship final (2022) and one CUSA Championship final appearance (2024).
In Liberty’s inaugural 2023-24 season in Conference USA, Maren guided the team to an 18-7 overall record, including a perfect 5-0 mark in conference play. The Lady Flames reached the CUSA Championship final, suffering a 4-1 loss to No. 1 seed and 27-ranked FIU. The program received its first-ever invite to a post-season tournament, competing in the 2024 UTR Sports NIT Championship. Liberty’s season concluded in the semifinal round against Colorado (4-1 final). Six Lady Flames garnered CUSA All-Conference honors highlighted by Maria Juliana Parra Romero and Esther Lovato each receiving singles and doubles first team honors.
Maren coached four nationally ranked singles players during his time leading the Lady Flames including three nationally ranked doubles teams. He instructed 11 players that achieved all-conference first team awards, as well as four athletes that received a spot on the VaSID All-State first team.
Maren joined Liberty after six successful seasons as an associate head coach of the women's tennis program at North Texas, where he helped the Mean Green transition from a 2-19 program in 2007 to win a pair of Sun Belt Conference championships (2010 and 2012).
| Program Year | National Ranking | Overall Record | Conference Record | Conference Tournament | NCAA Tournament |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty | |||||
| 2024 | No. 54 | 18-7 | 5-0 | Runner-Up | N/A |
| 2023 | No. 66 | 17-9 | 6-2 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2022 | Not Ranked | 19-8 | 6-3 | Runner-Up | N/A |
| 2021 | Not Ranked | 18-7 | 6-0 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2020 | Not Ranked | 7-4 | 0-0 | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | Not Ranked | 15-7 | 6-1 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2018 | Not Ranked | 18-9 | 7-1 | Runner-Up | N/A |
| 2017 | Not Ranked | 12-12 | 7-1 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2016 | Not Ranked | 15-10 | 8-1 | Runner-Up | N/A |
| 2015 | Not Ranked | 19-5 | 7-2 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2014 | No. 74 | 15-9 | 7-2 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2013 | Not Ranked | 11-11 | 6-3 | Semifinals | N/A |
| North Texas | |||||
| 2012 | No. 40 | 18-7 | 6-0 | Champions | 1st Round |
| 2011 | Not Ranked | 10-12 | 4-3 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2010 | No.66 | 17-7 | 8-1 | Champions | 1st Round |
| 2009 | Not Ranked | 17-6 | 2-1 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2008 | Not Ranked | 13-9 | 5-2 | Semifinals | N/A |
| 2007 | Not Ranked | 2-19 | 0-3 | Quarterfinals | N/A |
Maren has also fostered academic success for the Liberty women's tennis program. The Lady Flames were tabbed an ITA All-Academic team for the eleventh straight year in 2023. He also coached three players, Brittany Yang, Evangeline Crist and Emily Groeneveld, who were included on the Big South All-Academic team. Five players, Esther Lovato, Micaela Ode Mitre, Grace Hashiguchi, Ashley Bongart and Lara Soares, on the ASUN All-Academic team. Lovato was also included in the 2024 All-Academic CUSA team.
Previous Seasons
During the spring 2023 season, Maren led the team to a 17-9 with a 6-2 ASUN record including the program's first-ever victory over a Big 10 team (Michigan State, 4-2, Feb. 3). Liberty's season came to an end in the ASUN Championship Semifinal with a defeat to No. 1 seed North Florida. Four Lady Flames earned All-Conference honors including Maria Juliana Parra Romero (first team), Esther Lovato, Marina Davtyan (second team) and Tiffany Nguyen (third team).
The spring 2022 season saw Maren and Liberty match a school record with 19 wins and post a 6-3 ASUN regular season mark. In the ASUN Tournament, Liberty topped Central Arkansas and FGCU (first win over the Eagles) on the way to reaching the championship match against Stetson. Maren instructed ASUN Freshman of the Year and All-Conference first team honoree Maria Juliana Parra Romero. Parra Romero established a new school record for singles wins in a season with 29. Additionally, Maren coached ASUN All-Conference first team honoree Esther Lovato and second team member Tiffany Nguyen.
In spring 2021, Maren led Liberty to a 18-9 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in the ASUN North Division. Maren instructed ASUN All-Conference first team honoree Alexandra Almborg as well as second team all-conference and all-freshman team selections Esther Lovato and Tiffany Nguyen.
In spring 2020, Maren guided Liberty to a 7-4 record in a season which was cut short in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the shortened season, the Lady Flames still received several awards, highlighted by Kalani Soli being named 2020 ITA Atlantic Region Senior Player of the Year. Soli and Esther Lovato both earned VaSID All-State singles second team honors as well.
In spring 2019, Maren led the Lady Flames to a 15-7 overall mark and 6-1 record in the ASUN in their year in the conference. He earned his 100th career victory on March 30, a 4-3 triumph over Lipscomb at home. Liberty claimed a share of the ASUN regular-season crown and earned the No. 1 seed for the ASUN Women’s Tennis Championship. Maren instructed ASUN All-Conference first team member Kalani Soli and All-Freshmen team honoree Alexandra Almborg.
In spring 2018, Maren guided Liberty to an 18-9 overall mark and a 7-1 record in the Big South. The Lady Flames placed a program-record seven players (Maria Medina, Lara Soares, Ashley Bongart, Rebekah Anderson, Grace Hashiguchi, Evangeline Crist and Anna Dollar) on Big South All-Conference teams. The 18 wins by Liberty were the second most in a season in school history.
In spring 2017, Maren guided Liberty to a 7-1 record in Big South play, allowing the Lady Flames to share the conference crown for a second consecutive year.
In spring 2016, Maren led the Lady Flames to the finals of the Big South Women's Tennis Championship for the first time. The team's eight Big South wins set a new single-season program record. Liberty shared the regular season Big South title for the first time since 2011 and second time in program history. Maren was named the 2016 Big South Coach of the Year.
The Liberty women's tennis program also hosted the ITA Atlantic Regional for the first time in program history in October of 2015 and hosted it again in 2018, 2021 and 2023. The program also hosted the Big South Women's Tennis Championship in April of 2016.
During the 2015 spring season, Maren led the Lady Flames to 19 victories, setting a new single-season program record. The team also won seven conference matches for the second consecutive season.
On March 4, 2014, Maren's squad earned Liberty's first ever ITA National ranking, coming in at No. 74.
During his first three seasons at North Texas, Maren served as assistant coach before being promoted to associate head coach of the program for the last three seasons.
Following an 11-win improvement during his first season with the program, North Texas finished the 2008 season ranked No. 13 in the final ITA Southwest Region rankings. The Mean Green continued to improve the following season, posting a 17-6 record while making a run to the Sun Belt Conference Championship semifinals in 2009.
In 2010, North Texas captured its first-ever Sun Belt Conference title, upending No. 49 Florida International, 4-3, in the conference's title match. Following another conference semifinal run in 2011, North Texas claimed its second Sun Belt title and NCAA Women's Tennis Championship berth with a 4-2 win over Florida International in 2012.
During his last five seasons at North Texas, Maren helped the Mean Green post a 75-41 record and gain a national ranking as high as No. 40 during the early part of the 2012 spring season.
Maren helped coach four all-conference women's tennis players and two nationally ranked players at North Texas, along with adding a combined 38 nationally ranked opponents to North Texas' schedule during his six seasons with the program.
North Texas' success was not limited to the court during Maren's time with the program, as the Mean Green finished five out of six seasons with ITA All-Academic team honors.
Prior to his days at North Texas, Maren taught and managed tennis clubs in Kentucky for nearly two decades, along with beginning a pair of collegiate tennis programs at Brescia University (men's, 1991) and his alma mater Thomas More College (women's, 1988). Maren led Brescia University to a 44-38 record over five seasons, coaching three all-conference athletes and two NAIA national qualifiers at the Owensboro, Ky., school. Maren helped Thomas More College to a 19-17 record in his three years at the NCAA Division II program in Crestview Hills, Ky., coaching three all-conference players during the program's earliest years.
Maren's professional instructing career spans three different clubs during a 17-year timeline. He was the Director of Tennis at Owensboro County Club (1991-95), the Director of Tennis and Fitness at the Executive Racquet Club in Owensboro, Ky. (1991-95) and the Director of Tennis and Fitness at the Country Club of Paducah in Paducah, Ky. (1998-06).
At each club, Maren instructed between 150 and 200 members and was named the "Kentucky Pro of the Year" by the USTA in 2005. Maren has been a United States Professional Tennis Association certified instruction since 1997.
Maren is a 1989 graduate of Thomas More College, where he received an associate's degree in psychology and a bachelor's degree in business administration.
During his days at Thomas More as a player, Maren posted an 81-20 singles record at the No. 1 position and qualified for the NAIA national championships all four years (1985-89). He was a three-time district champion in both singles and doubles and was nationally ranked as a senior. Maren was honored in 2010 when he was inducted into the Thomas More Athletics Hall of Fame.
After graduation, Maren continued to play in open and professional events and was ranked nationally as high as No. 23 in 2002 in the men's 35 and over singles grouping. He continues to play competitively on a yearly basis.
Maren and his wife, Julie, have a son, Zachary.
