Joel Roberts, a 2017 graduate of PC just completed his fifth season in 2024 at the helm of the women's tennis program, having take over in April 2019.
Under the guidance of head coach Joel Roberts, three Blue Hose earned Big South postseason honors in 2025. McKenzie Davis was named First Team All-Conference in singles and Second Team All-Conference in doubles, while Claudia Sanchez earned Second Team honors in singles and Ellen Mary Longmire claimed Second Team recognition in doubles. Davis also represented PC on the Big South All-Academic Team and was named the 2025 Big South Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Both Davis and Valentina De Sousa earned CSC Academic All-District honors. The Blue Hose also picked up three weekly awards during the season, with Davis earning Big South Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks and Longmire being named Big South Freshman of the Week. Presbyterian finished the year 6-17 overall, including a 2-2 mark in Big South play.
In 2024, six PC players received post season All-Conference achievements from the Big South led by Claudia Sanchez taking a spot on the league's First Team All-Conference roster. Three pairs of Blue Hose were named to the conference's Second Team All-Doubles roster including, McKenzie Davis and Mathilde Delaney, Lucianna Piedra and Madison Dennett, along with Valentina De Sousa and Sanchez. Davis was also the team's representative for the Big South All-Academic team. The Blue Hose also earned three Big South Player of the Week awards behind standout performances from Sanchez, Piedra, and Davis. Robert's finished the season with a 9-12 overall record which is the best that the program has seen during his time with PC.
During the 2023 season, PC claimed the program's third victory over Gardner-Webb in 16 tries with 2023 marking the second time under Roberts. Valentina De Sousa was named to the league's Academic Team. Roberts picked up his third straight season winning at least three league matches and has accumulated 11 in his three full seasons at the helm.
In 2022, PC had a pair of players honored with Big South all-conference honors as Claudia Sanchez and Jessica Leeman both earned second team all-conference honors. Leeman was also the team’s all-academic honoree. The Blue Hose earned four weekly honors from the Big South as Sanchez earned a pair of freshman of the week’s and Leeman along with Zeba Jamal earned player of the week honors.
In 2021, Roberts helped lead the Blue Hose to a second place finish in the Big South matching the best finish in program history set in 2019. PC had four players honored with Big South all-conference honors highlighted by Zeba Jamal getting first team honors. Freshman Lucianna Piedra was named to the second team and the doubles pair of Alexa Wilson and Samantha Calais earned second team doubles all-conference honors. Jessica Leeman was also the Blue Hose all-academic honoree. Wilson also earned freshman of the week honors during the season.
In his first year at the helm with the Blue Hose in 2020, senior Katie Thompson tied the D1 program record with her 14th win in conference action. Beth Taylor moved into a tie for third in the program's record book with 42 singles wins as well. Thompson also won a flight at the Elon Fall Invitational.
Roberts, who majored in History and minored in Secondary Education and Athletic Coaching, finished his career fifth in PC's Division I history in doubles wins with 52 and was third in PC's D1 era in doubles wins in a season with 14. He ranks just outside the top 10 in career singles wins (31) and ended his career 10th in doubles winning percentage (.553).
As a senior Roberts was named to the second team All-Big South doubles with Ben Kelley and was a team captain. He led PC to its second Big South Regular Season title, first Big South Tournament title and first NCAA Tournament appearance. That season he went 16-11 in doubles play, primarily at No. 1, all with Kelley and also recorded an 11-7 singles record. He finished that season winning four of the last five doubles matches, as well as going unbeaten, 3-0, in doubles action in the Big South Championship. He led at No. 1 doubles against No. 11 Texas in the NCAA First Round before falling 7-5.
In his first year at Wingate in 2018, Roberts helped lead both Bulldog teams to impressive seasons.
The Wingate men won both the South Atlantic Conference regular season championship and tournament title, moving all the way up to sixth in the ITA national poll, the highest ranking in program history. The Bulldogs went 20-6 overall and 9-1 in league play, picking up a 5-0 victory over #13 USC Aiken in the NCAA Tournament opener.
The Bulldogs women's team went 21-5 overall and 10-0 in league play, capturing their eighth straight regular season SAC title and sixth consecutive undefeated season. Wingate will enter next season riding a 69-match SAC winning streak. The Bulldogs earned the number two seed in the NCAA Southeast Regional, hosted the regionals for the first time in program history and picked up their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory. The Wingate women were ranked as high as 12th nationally.
2018 saw Wingate earn the SAC Player of the Year in men's and women's tennis, with Daniel Belsito becoming the third Bulldog to win the honor on the men's side and Michela Verpelli giving the Bulldogs their first SAC Women's Tennis Player of the Year since 1990.
In Roberts’ second season, the Wingate men’s team took home the 2019 SAC regular season and tournament championship, while the women's team earned the 2019 SAC tournament championship and cracked the ITA top 10 for the first time in program history, ranking 10th in the most recent poll.
The Bulldog men’s team was 19-4 overall and 19-2 against Division II opponents after going 9-1 in league play. The women were 21-1 on the season and are looking to earn hosting duties in the NCAA regionals for the second straight year and second time in program history.
In high school through his junior year, the Summerville, S.C., native and All-Lowcountry selection in 2011 and 2012 was the sixth-ranked prospect in South Carolina. The team captain three out of four years, Roberts played at the No. 1 or No. 2 spot for Pinewood from his seventh grade on, earning the Most Outstanding Player award in 2012 after collecting All-Region and All-State honors in 2010 and 2011.
