Anca Dumitrescu named new head women’s tennis coach

Charleston Southern Athletic Director Jeff Barber announced that Anca Dumitrescu has been named the new head women’s tennis coach on Saturday afternoon.

Dumitrescu comes to the Buccaneers with a strong coaching resume after leading championship teams at Miami University of Ohio, as well as Georgia Tech, East Tennessee State and Florida State.

“I am extremely excited to have Anca join the Buccaneer family as our new Head Women’s Tennis Coach,” Barber said. “From her experience as both a player and a coach, she has proven herself to be a champion.  The goal for our tennis program is to compete annually for Big South Conference Championships and I firmly believe she can make this a reality.  After talking with some top college coaches around the country, it became very clear that she is the right person and coach to lead our program.”

Dumitrescu spent four seasons guiding the Miami of Ohio RedHawks, amassing a 64-36 overall record and a 30-2 Mid-American Conference mark. Miami won four regular-season MAC titles from 2011-14 under Dumitrescu, extending its streak of regular-season conference titles to six straight. The team also captured MAC Tournament crowns in 2013 and 2014, advancing to the NCAA postseason in both seasons.

She looks forward to the opportunity to get back into the college coaching ranks and building on the success of the CSU women’s tennis program.

“I would like to thank Mr. Barber and Dr. Costin for this great opportunity to join Charleston Southern University as a head coach,” Dumitrescu said. “College coaching has been my passion for many years now and I am excited to continue the tradition of excellence of the Buccaneer women’s tennis team. I also want to thank Mike Baker for everything he has done for the program and his commitment and love for this team.” 

She continued, “I am looking forward to developing our student-athletes on and off the tennis court towards reaching their highest potential individually and as a team while fulfilling the University’s mission of integrating faith in leading, learning and serving.”

Dumitrescu became just the second coach in program history to capture MAC Coach of the Year honors three times in a career while at Miami of Ohio (2011, 2012, 2014). She mentored seven players who earned a combined nine All-MAC awards, including five first-team honors, as well as 2012 MAC Player of the Year Stephanie Danesis and 2014 MAC Freshman of the Year Andreea Badileanu.

Prior to Miami University of Ohio, Dumitrescu coached under Bryan Shelton at Georgia Tech from 2007-10 helping guide the Yellow Jackets into becoming the number one program in the country. Georgia Tech won the ACC regular-season title in 2008 on their way to winning the ITA National Indoor Championship. The Yellow Jackets also took the ACC Conference crown in the 2010 season.

During her tenure, the Yellow Jackets boasted All-American singles athlete Irina Falconi (2009), as well as double tandem Amanda McDowell and Falconi (2008). Kristi Miller and Whitney McCray (2007) were also All-American doubles finalists. Falconi reached the ITA National Indoor finals and was the top player in collegiate women’s tennis prior to her professional career.

Dumitrescu also coached Amanda McDowell to the Individual Title in 2008 and a top-five NCAA team ranking in the season. The team also signed the top overall recruiting class in the 2008 season. Georgia Tech won regional titles in both singles and doubles in the 2007 season.

She also led ETSU to the regular season championship and the conference championship finals in the 2007 season during her lone season with the Buccaneers. Yefghenia Stupak earned the first regional ranking in school history under her coaching tenure.

As a graduate assistant at Florida State from 2004-06, Dumitrescu helped coach Mihaela Moldovan to the sixth overall ranking in the NCAA, as well as guiding the FSU women’s team to the NCAA tournament in 2005. 

Dumitrescu played at Florida State from 2001-04 as the top player on the Seminoles team. She was an All-ACC selection in both 2003 and 2004. Dumitrescu was ranked among the top 60 players in the NCAA all four seasons at Florida State reaching as high as the 24th overall player during her time.

During her time at FSU, the team qualified for the NCAA Tournament in both 2002 (South Carolina) and 2004 (Vanderbilt), and she qualified individually in 2002 (Stanford) and 2004 (Athens). She also received the Golden Nole Award for the MVP player in 2003. Also among her honors included the Arthur Ashe South Region Sportsmanship Award, as well as the South Region Senior of the Year Award in 2004.

Prior to her collegiate career, she qualified for the French Open in Juniors in 1998, as well as won the National Romanian Junior Tennis Championships in both singles and doubles in 1999. She also achieved a ranking of 514 on the WTA tour in 1997-98.

A Romanian native, Dumitrescu graduated from Florida State in 2004 with degrees in both Communication and Multinational Business. She graduated with her Masters of Arts in 2006, also from Florida State, in Communication.

Dumitrescu and her husband, Raul, have a daughter, Maria Christina. The couple resides in Mount Pleasant, S.C.

What They Had to Say About Head Women’s Tennis Coach Anca Dumitrescu

“Anca is one of the hardest working coaches I have ever been around. Her integrity, ability to communicate along with her knowledge of how to develop players are just a few characteristics that make Anca a great coach. Charleston Southern just got a lot better by hiring Anca, and I can’t wait to see what she does with the program there.” – Florida Head Men’s Tennis Coach Bryan Shelton

“AD Jeff Barber has made a wise decision with the hiring of Anca Dumitrescu for their next Head Women’s Tennis Coach! Anca has a tremendous work ethic and a real passion for the game. Under her leadership, great things are in store for Charleston Southern Women’s Tennis! I am looking forward to following her results!” – Memphis Head Women’s Tennis Coach Hayden Perez

“Coach Dumitrescu is one of the best coaches I had the opportunity to work with. Her development aspect, her understanding, and passion for the game of tennis create the perfect environment for student-athletes to learn, develop, and discover their potential in all aspects of their games and lives. Everything she does is with a professional approach to preparation, understands perfectly what it takes to win championships, and she is a highly effective coach as well as an extremely hard worker.  I am very excited for Charleston Southern athletic family and coach Anca and I know she will take the program to the next level and new heights.” – Miami of Ohio Head Women’s Tennis Coach Ricardo Rosas 

“What a great hire for CSU. Anca is one of the best young coaches out there. She was successful as an assistant coach at ETSU and at Georgia Tech, and her record at Miami (Ohio) speaks for itself. Her work ethic is exemplary, as is her knowledge of the game. Charleston Southern is fortunate to have her.” – UNC Asheville Head Women’s Tennis Coach Lise Gregory

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