Jeff Trivette begins his 25th season with UNCG tennis in 2024-25. Trivette served as an assistant coach for 10 years before being named head coach on July 1, 2000. He coached both the men’s and women’s teams from 2000-04 before relinquishing the men’s title before the 2004-05 season to former coach Thomas Mozur. After serving as the interim head coach, Trivette was permanently appointed Director of Tennis on Nov. 9, 2014.
In Trivette’s tenure, UNCG has reached the semifinals of the Southern Conference Championship seven times.
In the 2023-24 season Trivette had two players recognized with postseason awards and one player to earn SoCon Player of the Week during the season. The squad went 6-16 during the 2024 campaign.
As the women’s tennis coach, Trivette had seven first-team All-SoCon singles selections, including two-time honoree and 2008 SoCon Player of the Year, Guerra, and eight first-team doubles teams picked. Five have earned second-team all-league singles laurels under Trivette, while three doubles teams have earned second-team honors. UNCG has had at least one first-team singles and doubles selection in six of his last seven seasons. Trivette has also put three student-athletes on the SoCon All-Freshman Team since its inception in 2009, the third-most in the league in that span.
UNCG was an even 5-5 through the first five weeks of the 2020 spring season, defeating Samford 4-3 and coming just short of a second SoCon win over Furman in a 4-3 loss. Nico Grewe went 8-2 in singles play before the season came to an end, combining with Ollie Palmer for a 5-4 record in doubles.
The Spartans collected seven wins in the 2019 spring campaign, including a 4-3 win over James Madison and a 4-2 victory over Appalachian State. Nico Grewe and Ollie Palmer both collected Second Team All-SoCon recognition in singles play, while the pair combined for All-Conference selections as a doubles pairing as well. Hugh Knapp picked up SoCon All-Freshman designations as well.
2018 saw Trivette lead the Spartans to an 11-11 record and 4-3 in SoCon play. The Spartans were well represented on the All-SoCon teams, earning the SoCon’s Player of the Year in Connor Thompson, the second-straight season he has achieved the award of being the league’s best player. Joining Thompson on the first team was doubles teammate, Nico Grewe. Three more Spartans earned Second-Team All-SoCon Honors. Freshman Ollie Palmer was named Second Team Individual selection, as Marcus Vidgren and Logan Walker placed on the All-SoCon second team for doubles. Palmer also earned SoCon All-Freshman honors.
In 2017, Trivette guided Connor Thompson to the SoCon’s Player of the Year award after the junior went 16-3 in singles competition and 6-1 in SoCon play. Trivette paired Thompson up with Will Albright in doubles throughout the season and the pair earned first team All-SoCon doubles honors after going 9-4 and 6-0 in SoCon play. Newcomers Jack Burkill and Marcus Vidgren joined Thompson and Albright with All-SoCon honors, earning second team doubles accolades.
2016 saw the men’s tennis team go 9-13 overall. Warren Bryan earned All-Southern Conference second team honors after going 11-11 during the season.
Resuming the role of men’s head coach in 2015, Trivette led the Spartans to an 11-10 finish, as well as first team All-Southern Conference performer in Randy Phillips. Trivette’s Spartans also nabbed a pair of All-SoCon second team doubles honors.
The Spartans finished the 2013 season with an 8-13 record, but still placed Niltooli Wilkins on the Southern Conference first team, as well as Wilkins and Alex Whitehead earning first team doubles honors. Under Trivette, Kayla Gammie and Annette Rios also earned All-Southern Conference honors, nabbing second team doubles honors.
2012 saw UNCG finish with an 18-6 record earning a trip to the Southern Conference semifinals falling to the College of Charleston. The Spartans earned a No. 65 national ranking during the season after a 9-4 start. The Blue and Gold were 6-1 at home and 8-2 in the conference to earn the No. 4 seed. Wilkins earned first team All-SoCon and finished with a 24-10 overall record. Wilkins and Lucy Dougherty also notched Southern Conference first team doubles honors, with Annette Rios and Stephanie Falcon earning second team All-Southern Conference honors. Kayla Gammie and Annette Rios also notched All-SoCon honors, placing on the second team doubles.
In 2011, Trivette guided the Spartans to 15-7 overall mark and a second-place Southern Conference finish at 9-1 in the league. Four players earned first-team All-SoCon honors, with Niltooli Wilkins taking the distinction in singles and Wilkins, Alex Whitehead, Lucy Dougherty and Stephanie Macfarlane doing so in doubles play. UNCG also made a brief appearance in the national rankings, topping out at No. 70. The Spartans reached the semifinals of the SoCon Championship for just the fifth time in school history.
Trivette had UNCG ranked 66th in 2009-10, but the Spartans had to deal with an injury at the top of the lineup and finished the season with a 10-11 ledger that included a 4-6 league mark. Despite the sub-.500 record, UNCG had three student-athletes earn All-SoCon honors, while Whitehead and Annette Rios were SoCon All-Freshman selections, as well.
Guerra went 18-2 in the 2008 spring season and compiled a 17-match winning streak en route to being named the league’s player of the year. Guerra was named all-conference in singles, while Guerra and Arielle VonStrolley combined to earn a doubles all-league slot, as well.
As the men’s coach for five seasons, he compiled a 55-57 mark overall. In his second season with the men’s team, Trivette was named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year in 2001-02. He guided his squad to a 9-1 mark in conference play (15-5 overall) and a tie with Furman for the league title. In addition, the women’s team finished third in the SoCon that same season with a 7-2 mark (10-9 overall). Both teams advanced to the conference tournament semifinals.
As interim head coach in 1999-2000, Trivette led the men’s team to a national ranking, a 16-7 overall mark and a third-place finish in the Southern Conference (8-2).
As assistant coach in 1998-99, Trivette helped guide the women’s team to the SoCon regular-season title and a national ranking. Also, the men’s team finished runner-up in the conference.
With Trivette on staff, the men’s team was the Big South Conference runner-up in 1992, 1993 and 1994 before winning its first conference championship in 1995. The women’s team was the Big South regular-season champion in 1996 and 1997 and Big South tournament champion in 1997 after a runner-up finish the year prior.
In addition to working with the Spartan teams for more than two decades, Trivette has assisted with the university’s summer tennis camp and has been tournament coordinator for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association/Rolex Summer Circuit event that is played annually at UNCG.
Trivette, an assistant men’s tennis coach at Greensboro College in 1989, is a 29-year veteran of coaching. Prior to entering coaching, Trivette played at Charlotte and also competed professionally. He earned a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport science from UNCG in 1992 and a master’s degree in sport psychology from UNCG in 1994.
