The Top-Ranked Tennis Colleges
RUDY MILLER
COLLEGE
A handful of tennis programs consistently find themselves at the top of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's rankings. Their coaches know how to get the most from their players, which is why these schools have won championships or at least made it to the finals more than once. Their best players have come away prepared to compete among international professionals.
1 University of Southern California
The Trojans of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles dominate NCAA men’s tennis. The men’s team won the NCAA championship in 2014. It was USC’s 21st national tennis championship, which is more than any other school. Prior to missing the finals in 2013, the Trojans won the title for four straight years from 2009 to 2012. The 2014 win was the fifth for coach Peter Smith who is second in school history with championship wins behind George Toley with 10. Smith was named college tennis coach of the year in 2014.
2 University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles’ women’s tennis team took home the top prize in 2014. The NCAA championship was the second in school history, following a championship in 2008 and a second-place finish in 2012. The Bruins ended the 2014 season 27-2, with the most wins in school history since 1982. The Bruins are led by Stella Sampras Webster, sister to tennis legend Pete Sampras. She was named national women’s tennis coach of the year in 2012. As of 2014, her teams have finished in the top 10 in the NCAA tournament for all 18 years she has coached except one.
3 University of Virginia
The Cavaliers took the NCAA men’s tennis title in 2013 and finished second to USC in 2012 and 2011. The University of Virginia in Charlottesville’s men’s team is led by Brian Boland, who has a lifetime .854 winning percentage as a coach. As of 2014, he has coached at Virginia for 13 years. Under Boland, the Cavaliers won five national team indoor championships, 10 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, 11 ACC regular season titles and set the school record for wins in a year. In 2013, Somdev Devvarman became the first Virginia alumnus to reach $1 million in earnings on the Association of Tennis Professionals Tour.
4 University of Georgia
The University of Georgia Bulldogs captured NCAA men’s tennis titles in 2007 and 2008. Located in Athens, Ga., the school hosted the championships in 2014, 2012 and 2010. Coach Manuel Diaz won his 600th match in 2014, making him only the 10th coach in NCAA history to achieve that milestone. Under Diaz, the Bulldogs have won four NCAA championships and made it to the semifinals an additional seven times. Georgia’s national championship win in Athens at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in 2007 was the first collegiate tennis match ever to be televised live.
5 Stanford University
The Stanford Cardinal women’s tennis team won championships in 2013 and 2010 and was the runner up in 2011. Alumna Nicole Gibbs is playing professionally and made it to the third round of the U.S. Open in 2014. The Stanford, Calif., team is led by coach Lele Forood. Herself a Stanford grad, Forood is a five-time Pacific-10 conference coach of the year and former national women’s tennis coach of the year in 2003. Under Forood’s guidance, Stanford has had five NCAA individual women’s singles champions. As of 2014, the women’s team has made 33 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
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