Matt Walters was named UCF Men's Tennis assistant coach in September of 2017.
Walters had a prominent role in recruiting the 2018 signing class for UCF, which was ranked No. 8 in the nation by the Tennis Recruiting Network.
During his first season at UCF, the Knights went 11-10 on the year, The Black and Gold reached the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship. UCF knocked off four ranked opponents during the year, including a 4-2 decision against No. 30 Minnesota.
Senior Korey Lovett and freshman Eero Vasa recorded a historic season. Together, the duo made UCF history on numerous occasions, including taking down the No. 1 ranked pairing of Alfredo Perez and Johannes Ingildsen from Florida in the season opener. The tandem went 16-3 on the campaign, with a 15-2 mark at No. 1 doubles, and climbed to a school record No. 3 ranking in the ORACLE/ITA poll. Vasa and Lovett also became the first doubles team in program history to earn at spot at the NCAA Men’s Tennis Doubles Championship, where they reached the Round of 16.
Walters arrived in Orlando after spending the 2016-17 season at Mississippi State. In his lone season in Starkville, Miss., Walters guided the Bulldogs to a 21-9 record and an 8-4 mark in SEC play. MSU defeated SMU in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, before falling to No. 14 Oklahoma in theSecond Round. The Bulldogs finished the year ranked 18th in the country.
MSU sophomore Nuno Borges reached the NCAA Men’s Tennis Singles Championship Semifinals, climbing to number three in the Oracle/ITA Division I rankings.
Walters was hired by Miss State in 2016 after spending the previous two seasons in Bradenton, Fla., coaching at the IMG Academy. While at the academy, Walters worked with top ITF juniors, serving as a mentor and coach to the student-athletes.
Walters has coached players who have participated in a wide range of high-level junior events, such as the Junior Australian Open, French Championships, Junior Wimbledon Championships and U.S. Open Junior Championships.
Before his time in Bradenton, Walters was the owner, president and head tennis professional for the APEX Tennis Club in Fayetteville, Ark.
Walters played collegiately at the University of Arkansas, lettering all four years with the Razorbacks while being named co-captain twice. During his playing career at Arkansas he earned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll from 2009-2012, while garnering All-Academic ITA from 2011-2012. On the court, Walters was a formidable doubles competitor as he climbed in the top 50 ITA rankings during his senior season.
Before attending Arkansas, Walters was tabbed as a four-star recruit from Valley View High School in Jonesboro, Ark.
A native of Jonesboro, Ark., Walters graduated from Arkansas in 2012 with a bachelor’s in kinesiology with an emphasis in exercise science.