JACKSONVILLE – Former Gamecock standout Andres Amores has been named the head men's and women's tennis coach at Jacksonville State, interim athletics director Greg Seitz announced on Tuesday.
 
Amores was an All-Ohio Valley Conference player for the Gamecocks during his playing career from 2005-08 and led JSU to OVC titles and berths in the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and 2007. He played for Steve Bailey, who retired after a remarkable 35-year career that saw him win 10 men's and 10 women's conference titles.
 
"We are very excited to have Andres lead our Gamecock tennis programs," said Seitz. "We want to continue to build on the success and great tradition that our tennis programs have experienced in the past, and we feel like Andres is the perfect coach to continue our success."
 
Amores, a native of Quito, Ecuador, returns to his alma mater from Division III North Carolina Wesleyan College, where he served as head men's and women's tennis coach for two years. He led the Battling Bishops to the top of the USA South Conference rankings in just two short years and leaves both programs ranked No. 1 in their respective leagues.
 
Amores claimed both the men's and women's USA South Regular Season titles in 2015, with both programs going undefeated for the first time in school history. The men finished the season ranked No. 4 in the Atlantic South Region and 22nd in the country, while his women's team finished with a No. 8 ranking in the Atlantic South Region.
 
The men advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA Tournament, while the doubles team of Robert Kjellberg and Sebastian Sikh advanced to the national title match before falling in three sets. The duo both earned All-American honors by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
 
The Battling Bishops also claimed the USA South title in 2014, a No. 8 ranking in the Atlantic South Region and advanced to the NCAA Division III nation tournament, where they claimed a second-place finish in the regional tournament.
 
Prior to his first head coaching stint at North Carolina Wesleyan, Amores served one season as the assistant men's tennis coach at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. In that season, he helped the regionally-ranked Brewers capture the 2013 Liberty League championship and secure a berth in the NCAA Div. III Tournament.
 
Amores received his bachelor's degree in business administration from JSU in 2009 and earned his masters in sports management in 2011. Capping career at JSU that saw him excel on the court and off.
 
As a player for the Gamecocks, Amores guided JSU to OVC Tournament titles in 2005 and 2007 and was named to the All-OVC Second Team in 2007. He and Jax State competed in the NCAA Oxford, Miss., Regional in 2005 and again in 2007.
 
He then joined Bailey on the sidelines as a graduate assistant, where he helped the Gamecocks to two more OVC titles, a men's championship in 2009 and one on the women's side in 2011.
 
Amores was heralded as his country's No. 1 player in both singles and doubles in the Under-14 and Under-16 divisions. Additionally, he was ranked No. 1 in doubles for the Under-18 division, while representing his country in four South American Junior Circuits, as well as several European junior tournaments. At the age of 16, Amores moved to Europe to train and play ITF and satellite tournaments, and he has since competed and trained with Davis Cup players from Ecuador. More recently, Amores has volunteered his time and efforts to work with the top junior players from Ecuador, coaching players who have been ranked in the top-10 in both Ecuador and South America.
 
Amores is a Certified Professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and was certified in 2014 as a Performance Coach for top-level players. He passed as a Professional, which is the highest level attainable.