| Brian Boland |
|
|
Email Coach Boland
Over the past ten years, Brian Boland has established himself as one of the premier coaches in collegiate tennis. During his first decade as a head coach, he led his alma mater to new heights before coming to Virginia and establishing the Cavalier program as a national power.
Boland enters the second decade of his career with an already impressive resume of success. His teams have won five conference championships, participated in six NCAA Championships, and have had eight 20-win seasons. A four-time finalist for ITA National Coach of the Year, he has won five conference coach of the year awards and twice been named ITA Regional Coach of the Year. Through his first ten years as a coach, he has amassed a 228-68 (.770) career record.
As he enters his sixth season at Virginia, Boland has built a championship caliber program in Charlottesville. In his five seasons, he took a team that was unranked in the ITA Top 75 when he inherited it to a No. 1 national ranking in 2006. During that time, his teams won two ACC Championships, three ACC regular season titles, twice advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals, reached the finals of National Team Indoors, and set the school record for wins in a season. Those teams featured five All-Americans, seven NCAA Singles and four NCAA Doubles participants, 15 All-ACC selections, three ITA Regional Rookies of the Year, two ACC Freshmen of the Year, and two ACC Tournament MVPs.
During his tenure, Boland has proven to be a tireless worker in both recruiting and player development. His belief in team success on the court and in the classroom has been evident from the day he arrived at UVa. Those principles have been the cornerstone to the program's improvement since Boland's arrival.
In 2005-06, the Cavaliers opened the season with a No. 1 national ranking, becoming the first ever ACC school to earn the top spot in the ITA rankings. The team posted a 24-9 record, winning a share of its third consecutive ACC regular season title. Virginia reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and finished the year ranked in the top ten for the third straight year. At the NCAA Singles Championship, sophomore Somdev Devvarman reached the finals, becoming just the second Cavalier to accomplish the feat. Devvarman was one of three Cavaliers to earn All-American honors that season, the most for the Cavaliers in a single season.
The 2004-05 season was the best year in the program's history. The Cavaliers won their second consecutive ACC Championship, going undefeated in league play. In February, the Cavaliers reached the finals of National Team Indoors, becoming the first school in the tournament's history to reach the finals in its first appearance. The Cavaliers put together a school record 16-match win streak as they reached the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time. Boland was honored as ACC Coach of the Year and ITA Mideast Region Coach of the Year that season. In 2003-04, the Cavaliers experienced a breakthrough season, highlighted by many program firsts. The team claimed a share of its first ACC regular season title, won its first ACC Tournament, earned its first top ten ranking, hosted its first NCAA regional and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time. The lineup that accomplished these feats consisted of five sophomores and a freshman, a testament to Boland's ability to recruit and develop his players.
Boland's first recruiting class at Virginia was the centerpiece of the success over the past four seasons as five players made an immediate impact on the program. Doug Stewart was the 2003 ACC and Mideast Region Freshman of the Year, a 2004 and 2005 All-American, and a four-time All-ACC selection and three-time NCAA singles participant. Rylan Rizza earned All-ACC honors three times and reached the second round of the 2005 and 2006 NCAA Singles Championships. Rizza also teamed with classmate Nick Meythaler to earn selections to the 2004, 2005, and 2006 NCAA doubles championships, earning All-American honors as seniors. Darrin Cohen earned All-ACC honors and national singles rankings in 2005 while Stephen Rozek earned national singles rankings in 2004. Boland's second class was highlighted by Marko Miklo, the 2004 Mideast Region Freshman of the Year and 2004 ACC Tournament MVP. In 2005, the freshman class was highlighted by ACC and Mideast Region Freshman of The Year Somdev Devvarman and All-ACC selection Treat Huey. Devvarman was one win shy of tying the school record for singles wins in a season after reaching the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship. This group of talent has led Virginia to a 95-24 record over the past four seasons and a rise in the rankings from No. 47 to No. 1.
Before coming to Virginia, Boland spent five seasons establishing his alma mater, Indiana State, as the dominant program in the Missouri Valley Conference along with being among the best nationally. He led the Sycamores to a 121-32 (.791) record from 1996-97 to 2000-01, including a 57-4 (.934) mark in Missouri Valley play. Boland's teams did not lose a conference match during his final three seasons in Terre Haute winning three consecutive conference regular season and tournament titles. In four of his five seasons, Boland was recognized as the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and in 2000 was the ITA Region V Coach of the Year.
In 2000-01, his final season at Indiana State, the Sycamores finished 26-5 overall, winning the Missouri Valley Conference title for the third straight season. The team was ranked as high as No. 18 nationally and finished the season ranked No. 1 in Region V. For the third year in a row, Indiana State hosted an NCAA Regional, defeating arch rival Indiana in the first round before falling to Pepperdine.
Boland's 1999-2000 squad posted the best season in Indiana State history. The Sycamores led the nation in dual match wins with a 31-5 record. That season, Indiana State qualified for the National Indoor Championships and pulled off one of the most memorable comebacks in collegiate tennis history. Trailing defending national champion Georgia 4-1, the Sycamores won the final four matches on the court to rally for a 5-4 win. That season, the Sycamores earned a school record No. 17 ranking and hosted an NCAA Regional, defeating Purdue before falling to Minnesota. Boland earned Missouri Valley Conference and ITA Region V Coach of the Year honors and was a finalist for the ITA National Coach of the Year award.
In 1998-99, Boland led Indiana State to a 23-4 record and the school's first Missouri Valley Conference championship. The team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time, falling to top seeded Baylor 4-1 in the first round. The previous year, Boland led the Sycamores to a 22-7 record before falling to Wichita State in the conference tournament final. That match was Boland's last loss in Missouri Valley play.
In his first season as a collegiate coach in 1996-97, Boland led the Sycamores to a 19-11 record and earned his first conference coach of the year award.
During his tenure at Indiana State, Boland also served as Director of Tennis at the Terre Haute Country Club. In addition, he and his wife Becky established the Sycamore Tennis Summer Camp, which drew hundreds of kids from across the state.
A 1995 graduate of Indiana State University, Boland earned a bachelor of science degree in political science. He and his wife, Becky, reside in Charlottesville with their daughter, Briana (6), and sons, Bryce (4) and Brendan (1). The couple is expecting their fourth child in November 2006.
|
