This season, the tennis team has a new face and it is not just players. The Eagles are welcoming a new coach, and her name is Lexi Bolesky.

In May, head tennis coach, Carl Leedy, announced his retirement following a 15-year run with the Eagles and a 50-year-old coaching career overall.

Born and raised in Lexington, Ohio, Bolesky started playing tennis at the age of seven and began playing travel at the age of nine.

While playing for the Minute Men of Lexington, her freshman and sophomore year, she made Division I second team and Division I first team all conference her junior and senior year.

Bolseky also won an Ohio team state Championship and she was state individual runner-up in 2006.

Following her high school career, she was recruited by Coastal Carolina where she spent the next four years.

At Coastal, she was a three time All Big South recipient.

In the summer she went to California and coached kids at Weil Tennis Academy, an international tennis academy in Ojai.

After graduating from Coastal Carolina, she returned as the teams volunteer assistant coach for the fall of 2012. Later in the spring of 2014 she became the full time assistant coach.

It was in May of 2015 when Bolseky got a call from her mom saying there was an opening at Ashland University for the position of the tennis coach.

“It is nice to coach girls and be able to help them out,” said Bolseky. “It is not every day that you get to do something that you are super passionate about. I am excited to see the players and to be able to recruit.”

After being a college athlete, Bolesky knows what it is like to play at the college level and feels that she will be able to relate well with her team.

“You benefit a lot from being a student athlete because you learn about responsibility, values, dedication and adversity,” said Bolseky. “In college, sports are fun and rewarding, but it is also a job, you have a lot of traveling and also school work. I would not be the person I am today without playing tennis.”

To the athletic director Al King, Bolesky seemed like a good fit.

“She had recruiting experience internationally and throughout the United States,” said King. “Second, she was coaching at a successful Division 1 program and we thought that she could bring some new ideas and experience to AU. Third, that she has played Division I tennis and that she can pull from her background. Finally, that she is originally from Ohio, and was and individual state runner – up when she played at Lexington High School. She knows this area and what it takes to be successful. She is an excellent role model for this program.”

Bolesky is prepared to implement her strength and conditioning training with her team and wants to bring the best fit recruits to the program in the seasons to come.

King believes that she will expand the program and lead them into success once again.

What King and others are asking from Bolesky, is to just take over and continue what Leedy, started.

To make it better, and build it up more. Plus to get the team to make it to the NCCA playoffs again and to just do well.