COACHES
Our qualified and skilled coaches bring an expert level of guidance to our teams.
Criss Rodriguez
Head Coach
Coach Criss has been coaching tennis for 8+ years in Los Angeles, CA. Born and raised in Havana, Cuba; coach Criss was part of the Cuban National Team, where she trained under a rigorous curriculum for top nationally ranked student-athletes and future Federation Cup team members. Coach Criss played college tennis at the Division I level, at California State University Northridge (CSUN). She began coaching High School level tennis for a college-preparatory school (Harvard-Westlake High School) right after graduation, where she coached the team to CIF finals two years in a row. Simultaneously, coach Criss coached junior-players from all levels (beginners to high-performance juniors) privately. Currently, she is the Head coach for the Calabasas High School girls tennis program. She has run junior-camps and adult-clinics in the San Fernando Valley for 6+ years, contributing to the community and helping players improve their skills.
Sammer "Sam" Garcia
Assistant Coach
Sammer A Garcia began playing tennis at the age of seven when he was introduced to the sport by his dad. His high level of passion for the sport brought him early success being ranked as high as number one in the Caribbean. At twelve years old, Sammer and his family moved to Santa Barbara, California. He continued his junior success in the So Cal region by consistently being a top fifty ranked player. Fast forward a couple years and Sammer is playing varsity tennis for Santa Barbara High School, who at the time had a top ten tennis program in the country. By his sophomore year he was a starter and helped lead the team to a CIF Finals appearance. Some of his junior accolades include a Rose Bowl Title, a top junior ranking of #24, and receiving a scholarship to train at the Sanchez Casal Tennis Academy in Florida. After high school, Sammer pursued his dream of playing professional tennis. He played on the tour for a year and participated in many future and satellite events. Sammer has experience working with people from all ends of the spectrum in terms of age and ability. He’s been a hitting partner for top college players, has trained high school players and enjoys giving lessons to seniors and kids.
