Jacob Eddins first became familiar with Wichita State’s women’s tennis program from the sidelines — first as a young coach, then through family ties when his sister-in-law Joelle Kissell was hired as an assistant coach at WSU.

Now the program is more than something he’s heard about. It’s his to lead.

Five weeks after longtime coach Colin Foster stepped down, Eddins was hired as his successor.

“Between Colin and Chris Young, who was here just before him, they have won I think 19 conference championships and have made the NCAA Tournament 12 different times,” Eddins said. “I think there’s a high expectation, but I want to continue to raise the bar and reach that next level. I want to compete for championships.”

Eddins admitted that there are some big shoes to fill. Foster, who led the Shockers from 2009-25, left with eight conference titles and as the all-time winningest coach in program history with a career record of 251-150.

Foster stepped down to accept the director of tennis position at the Wichita Country Club. Some WSU players didn’t know what to make of the change, but junior Giorgia Roselli said she was understanding of Foster’s decision.

“It was a really, really good offer for him,” Roselli said. “He has four kids, too, and it’s hard during the season to leave them and travel all the time.”

Beyond wins, Foster built a culture rooted in family — something especially meaningful in a sport dominated by international players far from home. Roselli sees the same emphasis in Eddins.

“Him and Colin are similar in a lot of things, like families and culture,” she said. “He wants us to always be there for each other, and that’s really good. On the court, I think that he has a lot of skills and that makes us improve a lot.”

Although this is Eddins’s first head coaching job, he brings a wealth of experience with him. At Illinois, he helped the Fighting Illini reach back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2024 and 2025. His resume also includes stops at West Virginia, Auburn and Western Carolina, where he contributed to school-record win totals and national rankings — including WVU’s No. 51 ITA ranking in 2023.

That experience is already translating into early success for the Shockers. At the Husker Invitational from Sept. 26-28, the team won 14 of its matches. Junior Xin Tong Wang became the first WSU women’s tennis player to win in the singles main draw at the ITA All-American Championships and was named the American Conference’s Women’s Tennis Player of the Month for September under Eddins’ wing.

Eddins credited the team’s fast start to strong communication and a shared work ethic.

“I think effectively communicating with them just day-to-day about, ‘Hey this is what we’re going to do today,’ and the ‘why’ behind that is really important,” Eddins said. “Then just making sure that we’re starting on the right foot with our work ethic when we’re training on the tennis court, or in the weight room, or doing conditioning — we’re always putting our best foot forward and we’re committed to what we’re doing.”

With only one newcomer on this year’s roster, Eddins said the team’s existing chemistry has helped ease the transition.

“You’re the new guy coming in, and so things (are) starting to form,” Eddins said. “Those relationships, individually, with the girls is important. But just seeing how strong the culture is and how close the girls were already made it a little bit easier for me coming in because you don’t have to work so much on the culture and connectivity of the team.”

Roselli believes that mindset is already making a difference and will pay off when dual matches start in the spring.

“If we are not on the same page, we can’t really work hard,” Roselli said. “He said, ‘You trust me, and I’ll trust you.’ I think it’s the basic respect and the trust in our relationship. He said, ‘Let’s put the work in and we’re going to see (results).’”

That connection was tested early at the ITA All-American Championships, where Wang and Roselli competed just days after meeting their new coach.

Roselli said she was nervous about it at first, unsure how the dynamic would play out. But the experience helped fast-track the connection with their new coach.

“He didn’t know what to tell me on the court, and that was with Xin Tong, he didn’t really know at first,” Roselli said. “But then we talked and we tried to know each other, and it was much better day by day … He uses words in a right way and helps you to go through a bad moment.”

With the history of his predecessor and the opportunity to set new standards, Eddins has embraced the challenge and is using it to further the program.

“Having that success over the last 16 years really helps with attracting higher-level kids,” Eddins said. “And really trying to compete for championships and continue to build on the success that they’ve had over the years.”

As he settles into a new environment and builds connections with the players and community at WSU, Eddins hasn’t taken a moment for granted.

“To have this opportunity at a place like Wichita State, with a lot of history, it’s an amazing opportunity,” Eddins said. “We’re really excited about it.”