Head Coach Mirko Bjelica is entering his fifth season leading the Valor Men's and Women's Tennis programs in the 2024-25 season.
Bjelica has helped grow the Evangel Tennis program, as the women's and men's teams have both qualified for the conference tournament in the KCAC within their first two years of play in the conference.
Bjelica spent three seasons as the head women's coach at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois before his tenure at EU. During the 2016-17 season, he helped turn around a Leathernecks team that was in the midst of a 34-conference match losing streak to finish 9-14 and 3-3 in the Summit League. He also saw Natalia Bravo earn Summit League Newcomer of the Year honors.
The Leathernecks posted an above .500 winning percentage in 2017-18 as Bjelica's team finished 10-8. His teams also excelled in the classroom as well during his time at Western Illinois. His squads posted record team GPAs in 2018-19 and a 3.81 GPA in 2017-18.
Prior to his time at WIU, Bjelica spent two seasons at Tennessee Tech where the men's team won the 2015 Ohio Valley Conference regular-season championship.
Before arriving at Tennessee Tech, he spent five years as the head coach of the Montenegro national team where he prepared several junior and adult players for national and international competition. During his tenure, he led the team to a combined 18-12 record.
With more than 20-years of coaching experience, Bjelica has also served as a private head coach for several professional clubs both domestically and internationally.
A 1993 graduate of Georgia State, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in finance and a Bachelor of Science in education. He was a member of the tennis team and served as team captain during his senior season.
Bjelica and his wife Margaret have five children, Mary, Ana, Lidia, Sara, and Luke.
