Men's Tennis
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
An integral part of Tulane[apos]s Conference USA Championship in 2001, Ponce had a superb collegiate career at the University of Texas. Upon his graduation in 1996, Ponce had earned All-America honors three times. He played top four singles on four top 10 teams for the Longhorns.
[quote]Ernesto is battle-tested as a player and he has developed as a coach,[quote] head coach Robert Klein said. [quote]He has always been a great player, but now with experience, he is learning to be a great coach.[quote]
Following his graduation, Ponce pursued a professional playing career, climbing to a No. 460 ATP singles ranking and a No. 419 doubles rank.
A native of Mexico City, Ponce was the No. 1 ranked junior player in Mexico prior to his days at Texas. His father was the captain of Mexico[apos]s Olympic volleyball team and his sister played for Mexico[apos]s National Team in volleyball.
[quote]He brings so much to the table for us,[quote] Klein said. [quote]His experience and knowledge has been great. There is not a player on this team that Ernesto can not go out there and go toe-to-toe with. If our guys beat Ernesto, they feel pretty good about their tennis.[quote]
Ponce currently lives in New Orleans and in May, expects to earn his master[apos]s degree in business administration from Tulane. He has a daughter, Alexis, who already likes soccer and tennis balls.
