For over a decade, the name Brian Boland has been synonymous with success. Beginning with five seasons at Indiana State and over the past seven years at Virginia, Boland has proven to be one of the elite coaches in collegiate tennis. The 2008 ITA National Coach of the Year, Boland led his alma mater to new heights before coming to Charlottesville and turning the Cavalier program into the dominant team in the ACC and a national powerhouse.
In 12 seasons as a head coach, Boland’s teams have won seven conference championships, participated in eight NCAA Championships, and have had 10 20-win seasons. Last year he led Virginia to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, the first men’s tennis national championship in ACC history. Boland has won six conference coach of the year awards and been named ITA Regional Coach of the Year three times. During that time. Boland has amassed a 290-73 (.799) career record.
As he enters his eighth season at Virginia, Boland has built a championship caliber program in Charlottesville. In his first seven seasons, he took a team that was unranked in the ITA Top 75 when he inherited it to a No. 1 national ranking. During that time, his teams won the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, four ACC Championships, five ACC regular season titles, advanced to the NCAA semifinals twice and the quarterfinals two other seasons, and set the school record for wins in a season. Those teams featured two NCAA Singles Champions, 12 All-Americans, 12 NCAA singles and six NCAA doubles participants, 20 All-ACC selections, two ITA National Players of the Year, three ITA Regional Rookies of the Year, two ACC Freshmen of the Year, four ACC Tournament MVPs, and an ACC Player of the Year.
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.
Last year was a historic one for the Cavalier program. Virginia was ranked No. 1 for the entire regular season, winning the ITA National Team Indoor Championship and the ACC regular season and tournament titles before being upset in the NCAA semifinals by eventual champion Georgia. The Cavaliers set a school record with a 32-1 record and Boland was named ITA National and Regional Coach of the Year along with taking home ACC Coach of the Year honors. The Cavaliers ended the season ranked No. 2 nationally for the second consecutive year. Somdev Devvarman concluded the season for the Cavaliers by winning his second consecutive NCAA Singles Championship. Devvarman, Treat Huey, and Dominic Inglot all were named to the ITA All-America squad, marking the most All-Americans that the program has had in a season.
The Cavaliers went 30-4 in 2006-07, reaching the 30-win mark for the first time in school history. Virginia became the first ACC school to reach the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament and ended the year ranked No. 2 nationally. The Cavaliers went undefeated in ACC play to win their fourth consecutive ACC regular season title and their third ACC Tournament crown in four seasons. The year was capped as Devvarman became the first ACC player to the win the NCAA Singles Championship.
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 10 for the third straight year. At the NCAA singles championship, 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 highlighted by the Cavaliers’ 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. Virginia 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-10 ranking, hosted its first NCAA regional and advanced to the NCAA Championships for the first time.
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 in-state 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 children, Briana (8), Bryce (7) and Brendan (4), and Brooke (2).
