Junior Kelly Shaffer’s mind darts to the moments after UCLA women’s tennis won the 2014 NCAA Championship whenever she thinks of coach Stella Sampras Webster.
“I remember her absolute joy,” Shaffer said.”She said it was more about us than about her, she was happy for us and what we got to accomplish together.”
Sampras Webster never intended to go into coaching, let alone win national championships. She wanted to be an elementary school teacher after graduating from UCLA with a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1991. However, after a three-year stint as an assistant coach, she was presented the opportunity to take over the women’s tennis program in 1996.
And after two NCAA championships, 12 top-five rankings, 25 All-American players and 373 victories in 19 seasons as head coach, Sampras Webster continues to lead the program.
It wasn’t always easy for the longtime coach.
She understood the expectations that came with leading the program, but it took time for her to adjust to all the responsibilities she had and the decisions she needed to make.
“At 27, I was pretty young for a head coach,” Sampras Webster said. “There were some growing pains. … The first five to 10 years I was learning on the job.”
She said she eventually grew accustomed to the duties that came with the top job, learning that while everyone would not agree with her decisions, she could lead in such a way that everyone would respect her choices.
Sampras Webster’s success took off in the early 2000s, as she led the program to numerous top-five finishes and a second-place finish in the 2004 NCAA championship.
More than just titles and awards, she considers the players she’s recruited and coached to be her mark on the program. She has brought in seven top-10 recruiting classes over the last 11 years.
Her players say they value her vast knowledge of the game and the extensive preparation she makes to prepare them for opponents. Shaffer said she the drills Sampras Webster formulates to help individual players with specific parts of their game are crucial.
“She’s really good with organization,” Shaffer said. “She does her best to make all the pieces work.”
It’s not just the on-court work that makes a difference. Sophomore Kristin Wiley said the Bruin coach is someone players can go to about anything.
“She’s always there for (us) and is always watching over us,” Wiley said. “She has so much experience and has seen everything.”
For Sampras Webster, it all comes back to the people.
“I’ve been able to work with so many great tennis players and see them come in as freshmen and leave as young adults in the real world,” Sampras Webster said. “It’s really rewarding to hopefully feel that you had a positive experience on their lives here at UCLA.”