Dec. 6, 2012
COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina women’s tennis head coach Kevin Epley announced the hiring of Georgia Rose as his assistant coach Thursday. Rose spent three seasons with Illinois prior to joining the Gamecocks. She came aboard with the Illini staff less than four months after graduating from Northwestern following a standout career.
“I am very excited to welcome Georgia to the Gamecock tennis community,” Epley said. “She is a young and passionate coach with proven track record as a top tier athlete and successful Division I coach. She brings a combination of experience and enthusiasm that is hard to find in an assistant coach and we couldn’t be happier that she has elected South Carolina as the next step in her promising career.”
“I would like to thank Kevin Epley, Ray Tanner and the entire athletics administration for this coaching opportunity,” Rose said. “I’m excited to be part of the SEC and am extremely impressed with the facilities here at South Carolina. Kevin is one of the best developmental coaches in the country and I’m honored to be able to work with him.”
In 2011-12, Rose garnered ITA Midwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year accolades after helping the Illini to an 18-8 finish and a No. 21 season-ending ranking. In her first season, Illinois ended the year with a 15-10 mark and a No. 24 national billing.
As a player, the Mettawa, Ill., native began her Northwestern career with an overall record of 38-8, including a perfect 13-0 in the Big Ten, en route to ITA Midwest Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors in 2006. She also compiled 29 consecutive singles wins, breaking the previous school record of 28.
In 2007, Rose garnered her first career singles and doubles All-America accolades after advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA singles tournament. She also earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors, finishing the season 5-0 in conference matches and 26-5 overall.
Rose concluded her career a four-time All-American with 125 singles wins, including a 29-2 mark in the Big Ten. She was named ITA Midwest Regional Senior of the Year in 2009, ending the season ranked No. 21 nationally in singles and No. 13 in doubles after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championships.
Additionally, Rose helped lead the Wildcats to four straight Big Ten titles and a final national ranking of No. 2 in 2008 and 2009. She also was only the second player in school history to qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship all four years.
She has been ranked as high as No. 84 on the International Tennis Federation circuit (2002) and participated in both the U.S. Open Juniors and Australian Open Juniors. She was the 2004-05 Care Academy Player of the Year and was ranked No. 699 in the International Tennis Federation rankings and No. 882 in the WTA. She won the 2009 N Club Achievement Award, given to the student-athlete who exhibits the qualities of good citizenship, significant academic achievement and outstanding athletic performance.
She is the daughter of Graham and Barbara Rose. Her mother swam for England’s national swim team, and her father played semi-pro soccer in England. Her brother, Andrew Rose, currently plays professional soccer for the Seattle Sounders MLS team.
