Eric M. Striesfeld, USPTA, Owner
Eric brings to the NEW Bay Area Racquet Club a high energy, passionate approach to teaching. Eric has taught in the greater Houston area for nearly 12 years. He was at the JCC in a Director role since 2002 and lead the agency through two exciting tennis construction projects during his tenure. The program has grown into one of the finest in the city and is benchmarked by JCC’s across the nation on how to run a tennis operation. As Head Coach of the Emery High Tennis Team, Striesfeld built and guided the program to five consecutive Texas T.A.P.P.S. State High School Boys Team State Championships from 2005 to 2009. Eric was selected as a 2007 & 2011 U.S.T.A. National Team Coach for Team Texas. Striesfeld earned a B.B.A. in Marketing from Sam Houston State University graduating magna cum laude, and is a former nationally ranked collegiate tennis player at San Jacinto College finishing his freshman season ranked #19 nationally in doubles and #48 nationally in singles.
Marc A. Striesfeld, General Manager
Marc brings to the NEW Bay Area Racquet Club a distinguished background in retail and food and beverage. He will supervise and oversee the operations of the bar, coordinate the in-house league, front desk, and ensure your excellent experience with us at Bay Area Racquet Club. Marc is a loyal Atlanta Braves fan and enjoys talking sports with the members socializing upstairs in the bar.
Jason Kedzierski, USPTA, Head Tennis Professional
New to the Houston area, Jason grew up on the west coast, splitting his time between Reno, NV and Portland, OR. After becoming a USPTA certified professional at the age of 23, Jason went on to build Nevada’s largest junior tennis program, which produced over 50 individual State & Sectional titles (in both singles and doubles). His students went on to play tennis at universities such as: Yale, Villanova, Purdue, Stanford, University of Nevada – Reno, Boise State, UCLA, Sacramento State, and Illinois. In addition, Jason served as a hitting partner for WTA touring pro and 2002 NCAA National Doubles Champion, Gabriela Lastra (Stanford). Gabriela held a Top 10 ITF world junior ranking, Top 200 WTA ranking, #1 National Doubles ranking, and was the 2002 Pac 10 Player of the Year. As a player, Jason held the #1 Boys 18’s ranking two years in a row, #2 Boys 16’s ranking, and recently reached the Men’s Open doubles final at the 2010 Reno City Championships & 2009 Northstar Open (Lake Tahoe, CA). As a junior, he represented northern Nevada at the prestigious Governor’s Cup (Las Vegas), which was once won by tennis legend Andre Agassi, and former world #1 doubles player, David Pate. Jason enjoys working with all those who have a passion for the game, both junior and adult.
Austin Soliz, USPTA, Fitness Director & High Performance Coach
New to the Houston area, Austin is an Illinios native. He played tennis collegiately at Lakeland Community College and at the University of Illinois in Springfield. Austin finished in the top 15 in the country at the NJCAA both his freshmen and sophomore years. In 2003, Austin moved to Tampa, FL, where he worked at a SaddleBrook tennis resort. Not only was Austin a respected tennis instructor, but he also served as hitting partners for with James Blake, Mardy Fish, Justine Henin, and other top ATP and WTA players in the world. Austin realizes that people have different styles and approaches and he is able to utilize an individual’s style and improve it, rather than change it altogether. The "fitness" realm (off-court training) is just as important. His passion as a professional fitness traininer drives him to see others goals met. He has trained everything from a "soccer mom/business man" to several professional athletes. He believes in the wellness side of training and promises results.
Jihad Ben Barka, USPTA, High Performance Coach
New to the Houston area, Jihad comes directly from Dubai, where he coached the UAE National Team-under18 and developed Play n Stay (Quick Start) tennis for under10s in the Dubai schools and community. He has coached tennis in Seattle, Dubai, and Morocco. He has worked with beginners of all ages, ranked ITF juniors boys and girls, and ATP players. His coaching philosophy combines teaching, training and coaching as a part of every lesson for every level. Jihad started playing tennis at age 10 on the clay courts in his hometown of Kenitra Morocco, where he played competitive tennis and won open tournaments and national team club tournaments. He is currently ranked USTA 5.5. Jihad is certified with Pat Etcheberry in Strength, Conditioning and Movement in sport (2011). He is ITF certified for Play n Stay 2007 and has been a PTR Tennis Professional since 2005 (currently level 2). He has earned USTA Sport Science competency level 1 (2010) and his BA in Business Administration at International Institute of Higher Education in Morocco 2003 (IIHEM) .
Alphonso Rogers, USPTA, Staff Tennis Professional
Alphonso joins the team from Clarksville, Tennessee. A former collegiate player at Tennessee Weslayan college, Alphonso brings a passion for the sport and a love for teaching to the court! He earned the Champion of Character award at his university and has coached in various positions from California to Vermont and has found a home here in Houston.
Matt Risoldi, USPTA, Staff Tennis Professional
Matt joins the Bay Area Professional team as a local teaching professional with a passion for the sport and an upbeat demeanor on court! After battling it out as a junior player on the mean courts of New Jersey, he moved to Georgia where he was a scholarship singles and doubles player while attending DeKalb College. While living in Atlanta, he was a player/manager for many top flight ALTA teams. He has the unique ability to engage players as young as 3 years old on the court, as well as those up to 103. Matt and his wife Carol have 2 boys of their own: Nik: 7, Vincent: 4. Both train at the club.
Mike Ferraro, USPTA, High Performance Coach
BIO Coming Soon.
