IRVINE, Calif. – On Monday, Concordia University Irvine Athletics announced the hiring of SJ Nijssen as the new women's tennis head coach.

After originally coming to Irvine as a graduate assistant in 2024, Nijssen served as the interim head coach for Concordia women's tennis during the 2025 season and led the Golden Eagles to 15 victories last spring. CUI earned the third seed and a first round bye in the PacWest Conference Tournament.

A native of the Netherlands, Nijssen is a former Academic All-Conference collegiate tennis player. Nijssen graduated from the University of the Cumberlands where he and his twin brother Max both competed for the men's tennis team. He is working on completing his MS in Coaching and Exercise Sciences (MSCE). Earlier this summer, he was hired as the new girls tennis coach at nearby Orange Lutheran High School.
 
"I'm very excited to be back in this position and coach the women's tennis team," said Nijssen. "We had a great season last year and I'm looking forward to picking up where we left off. I am excited to give these student-athletes the chance to compete again and we are going to make the most of this opportunity."
 
"We are so excited to welcome SJ back into the Golden Eagle family," said Crystal Rosenthal, the CUI Vice President of Athletics. "He is the epitome of hard-working, selfless and professional.  We are lucky to have SJ back with our tennis team and our department as a whole."

"Last year as interim head coach it was a great learning experience for me and I want to take that into this upcoming season," added Nijssen. "I want to give everything for these ladies so they can be successful on and off the court. I just want to help bring out the best in them."
 
With tennis season fast approaching in the spring, Coach Nijssen is working on finalizing the 2026 team schedule. Stay tuned to cuigoldeneagles.com for upcoming schedule announcements.