TEMPE, Ariz. – Tassilo Schmid enters the 2025-26 season – his first official campaign as the head coach of Pepperdine Women’s Tennis – with a clear, laser-focused vision for the Waves.
After capturing Pepperdine’s 11th consecutive West Coast Conference title as the interim head coach last season, Schmid earned a well-deserved promotion as the school’s official head coach in July. Now, with his young core set to return alongside two impactful newcomers, Schmid feels he has a special group in place in Malibu.
“We can do some real damage.”
The Waves return four from their 2025 squad, all of which are rising sophomores in Alexia Harmon, Duru Soke, Liam Oved and Anastasiia Grechkina. Harmon was the conference’s Co-Freshman of the Year, while Grechkina was selected to the All-WCC First-Team.
Described by former coaches and colleagues as a skilled recruiter, Schmid has lived up to the billing early in his head coaching tenure. Over the summer, he added to his roster with the international signings of Ziva Falkner, a member of the Slovenian National Team, and Sonja Zhiyenbayeva, once ranked as high as No. 15 in the ITF world junior rankings out of Kazakhstan. It’s set to be a star-studded cast, as Grechkina (No. 37), Zhiyenbayeva (No. 86), Falkner (No. 89) and Harmon (No. 97) were listed in the ITA’s top-100 preseason rankings on August 26.
“They’re all going to put in the work this fall and we’re really excited about what we can do in the spring,” Schmid said.
As his young stars continue to grow and develop, which bodes well for the future of Pepperdine, so does the confidence of Schmid, who’s settled into his own voice and style as a head coach.
“When you’re the head coach, the gun is pointed at you. You’re the decision maker. You have to call the shots. What I’m really proud of is just managing all the new areas that came towards me and trying to excel in them right now.”
All of his past experiences have led him to be the perfect candidate to lead one of the best mid-majors in the sport. A top-ranked junior player out of Germany, Schmid opted to make the jump to the United States and play at Tyler Junior College in Texas, where he’d become an All-American and a national champion in 2013.
After transferring to Mississippi State, fulfilling a desire to play at the highest level in college, Schmid played for two seasons in Starkville under head coach Per Nilsson, who instilled the idea that Schmid was born to lead. The Bulldogs’ staff loved Schmid’s mindset and the way he approached his work each day.
“I always try to have fun in this process and try to smile,” Schmid said. “Everyone is trying hard out there. Everyone is trying to be a good coach. For me, it’s always the relational piece that comes into play. I think it’s super special when you have a deep relationship with your players and you see them grow over the four years. That’s amazing.”
That led to his first stop in the coaching world – a volunteer assistant position with Florida State Men’s Tennis under head coach Dwayne Hultquist. With it came a host of lessons learned and valuable experiences gained.
“I think my biggest takeaway from [Florida State] is every coach runs their program differently. There’s not one plan or one solution. I learned so much from Dwayne, who is probably one of the best fundraisers out there. What he did for the program when I was there was insane … There was a great dynamic there and I really picked up certain things that I want to continue in my program right now.”
Schmid quickly made a name for himself as a valued staff member. During one of the Seminoles’ conference matches between Notre Dame, Hultquist pulled Adam Schaechterle aside, who was then the associate head coach for the Fighting Irish, and vouched for Schmid.
‘If you’re ever looking for a good assistant, you need to look at our volunteer.’
Hultquist’s referral carried weight.
In May 2018, Pepperdine Men’s Tennis announced Schaechterle as its 16th head coach in program history. He called on the budding talent in Schmid to join him out west to help lead the Waves.
“We had an interview process which was challenging and awesome and a great experience. Then, when he got me the green light, I was super excited to come here.”
“Our players are going to love playing for Tassilo,” Schaechterle said after Schmid’s hiring in 2018. “He coaches with a lot of energy and passion, and he cares deeply about his players as people. Because of his ability to connect and build deep relationships, Tassilo can demand a very high standard while keeping the process fun. He is a perfect fit for our program.”
The Stuttgart, Germany, native Schmid spent seven seasons alongside Schaechterle with the Men’s team in Malibu. He helped keep Pepperdine in the national spotlight, earning ITA Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2021 and 2022.
Just as Hultquist did at Florida State, Schaechterle knew Schmid was a future head coach and afforded him the opportunities to advance his career while on his staff.
“[Adam] gave me a lot of freedom to travel, to experience Europe and the slams, the ITF tour. It was awesome for me. Adam always was really good at just giving me new responsibilities. I really appreciate that about him and I think that really helped my development.”
Schmid was named the Pepperdine Women’s interim head coach in December 2024 after Nilsson – his former head coach at Mississippi State – stepped down after 11 years on the job. Tasked with replicating the success of Nilsson, who led the Pepperdine Women to the NCAA Tournament each season and once earned the No. 2 ranking in the nation, Schmid ran with the opportunity and lifted the Waves back atop the WCC, doing so with five freshmen in the starting lineup.
Within Schmid lives an admiration for Pepperdine’s past, while a desire to leave his own mark on the storied program. Coaches like Nilsson and Schaechterle laid the foundation, but it’s up to Schmid to now usher his group into the next era of Waves’ Tennis.
At the core of that is “making learning fun,” according to Nilsson, a trait that makes Schmid so uniquely skilled. It’s engrained into his coaching philosophy and is at the forefront of how he connects with his players.
“One of the key aspects is you train so hard every day as a player,” Schmid said. “The schedule for a student-athlete is like a job sometimes. You go to practice, you go to class, then from class you practice, you recover. For me, it’s super important that you smile, you have fun doing that. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
Schmid knows how to win, he knows how to recruit – a skill he credits to both his German heritage and his playing experience at the junior college level – and he knows the Pepperdine program better than anyone.
“I want to continue the tradition here, but at the same time, build my thing and my brand.”
