BOZEMAN — Hailey Barrett, who recently completed her third season as an assistant at Rutgers University, has been named Montana State’s next women’s head tennis coach, announced MSU director of athletics Leon Costello on Wednesday.
“I am pleased to welcome coach Barrett to the Bobcat family,” Costello said. “She brings a great tennis pedigree with her from being a student-athlete at West Virginia and coaching stints at Power 4 institutions.
“She is the perfect fit for what we needed at this time. I look forward to supporting her in a way to continue building on a solid foundation in the Bobcat women’s tennis program.”
Barrett, who joined the Scarlet Knights coaching staff in July 2022, played an integral role in building a new culture within the Rutgers program. This past season, the Scarlet Knights posted a 7-14 overall mark, which included a 4-3 win over Oregon, when RU ranked No. 74 in the nation.
“I am so honored to be the next head coach of Montana State women’s tennis,” Barett said. “I am grateful for the support of athletic director Leon Costello, deputy AD Thijs Goossens, and the rest of the search committee throughout this process.
“I look forward to building a competitive and supportive team culture that empowers our student-athletes to succeed both on and off the court. I am excited to get to Bozeman and get started.”
During the 2023-24 campaign, Barrett helped the team build momentum and set program standards as the Scarlet Knights finished 12-12, picking up nine non-conference wins including three shutout victories. The team also recorded two Big Ten wins, defeating Michigan State and Minnesota.
Rutgers made program history in the ITA rankings, claiming its first-ever national team ranking in addition to a doubles ranking. Rutgers reached as high as No. 68 in the polls while the pair of Amira Badawi and Mai Nguyen came in at a season-best No. 54.
RU also found success in the Big Ten Tournament, defeating Michigan State to advance to the second round for the second consecutive year. Graduate student Yana Gurevich became the first Scarlet Knight in program history to earn All-Big Ten honors, after going 12-5 in conference play.
During her first season in 2023-24, Barrett helped the team open with four consecutive victories for their best start in six seasons. RU faced nine Top 75 opponents in Big Ten play. The team found success in the nonconference portion of the schedule as well, picking up nine victories including five shutout wins.
A two-time ITA Regional assistant coach of the year, Barrett previously served at Colorado and Washington & Lee. At W&L, she helped the team earn two ITA All-America honors and advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Tournament in the spring of 2021. The team rose to a ranking of ninth in the nation during that season.
In her first season with the Generals, Barrett helped the team to an 8-0 overall record and 5-0 mark in ODAC play before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. Barrett helped first-year Marta Mikos to VaSID All-State College Division Rookie of the Year accolades and the No.30 singles ranking in Division III.
The team spent the season ranked in the Oracle/ITA Tennis Top 25, including a No.18 ranking in the final rankings. Prior to arriving at Washington & Lee, Barrett was an assistant at the University of Connecticut from January 2017 to August 2019. During her time in Storrs, Barrett assisted the Director of Tennis in planning and organizing all phases of the women's tennis program and managed NCAA compliance programs.
She also assisted with administrative duties such as travel coordination, scheduling and recruiting coordinating.
The Huskies posted a 24-36 overall record with Barrett on the staff and reached its highest national ranking at No. 85 in the ITA National Team Rankings. She also coached Yelyzaveta Pletnyeva to a No. 13 regional singles ranking, with Pletnyeva and Jacqueline Fitz-Randolph gaining a No. 7 doubles regional ranking.
At UConn, Barrett also served as an assistant tennis director at Old Lyme Country Club from May 2018 to September 2019, where she taught private and semi-private lessons to members, managed weekly junior and adult clinics, and managed the pro shop.
Barrett worked as a volunteer assistant women's tennis coach at her alma mater, West Virginia University, from October to December of 2016, after serving as a tennis teaching professional at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
A 2016 graduate from West Virginia University, Barrett was a four-year member of the women's tennis team and earned her bachelor of science degree in sport management, with a minor in business administration. She also graduated with a master of science degree in sport management.
