As he enters his seventh season at Virginia, Tony Bresky has emerged as one of the top assistant coaches in the nation. The 2005 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year, Bresky has teamed with head coach Brian Boland to build the Cavalier program into one of the nation’s elite.
The Cavaliers have had tremendous success during Bresky’s tenure as assistant coach and Bresky was elevated to associate head coach in November 2005. Over the past six seasons, Virginia has a 157-29 record, reached No. 1 in the ITA rankings, won the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, four ACC Championships, five ACC regular season titles, reached the NCAA semifinals twice, advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals two other times, 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, three ITA Regional Rookies of the Year, two ACC Freshmen of the Year, four ACC Tournament MVPs, and an ACC Player of the Year.
“I am very proud to be part of the coaching staff at the University of Virginia. I am confident that we will continue to build a program that the University and community will be proud of,” Bresky said. “This year’s team has the talent and work ethic to carry on the success that Virginia tennis has had over that past few years. It is an exciting time for the program and I am happy to be a part of it.”
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 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 2006-07 season was the best season in school history. The Cavaliers went 30-4, setting a school record for wins in a season. 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 ten for the third straight year.
In 2004-05, Bresky helped guide Virginia to its 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. Bresky was honored as the ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year following the season.
In 2003-04, Bresky was an important part of the Cavaliers’ success during their breakthrough season. Virginia won its first ACC Championship, reached the round of 16 of the NCAA Tournament and cracked the top-10 of the national rankings for the first time. For his role on the team, Bresky was named the ITA Mideast Region Assistant Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the organization’s National Assistant Coach of the Year Award.
In Bresky’s first season with the Cavaliers in 2002-03, the team showed tremendous improvement. The team went 20-8 during the spring, the program’s first 20-win season in nearly two decades. Virginia climbed as high as No. 21 nationally, the school’s highest ranking in six years. The Cavaliers also had participants in both the NCAA singles and doubles championships.
Although Bresky is in his sixth season at UVa, he is in his eighth season working with Boland. Bresky spent two seasons as Boland’s assistant coach at Indiana State, while he attained his master’s degree in business administration.
During his tenure at Indiana State, the Sycamores compiled a record of 53-8 and were ranked as high as No. 17 nationally. The team won two consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament both years.
In addition to his collegiate coaching experience, Bresky has several additional successful coaching experiences under his belt, including stints in Europe and Canada. He spent a year coaching and traveling with one of the top juniors in the United States from 2001-2002.
Before coaching at Indiana State, Bresky played collegiate tennis at Western Illinois University, where he excelled both academically and athletically. His achievements at Western Illinois rank him as one of the best tennis players to ever play for the Leathernecks. While at WIU, Bresky set over 10 school records. He was named Mid-Continent Player of the Year three times, was an All-Conference Selection all four seasons, and was also named Academic All-Conference all four seasons. Bresky earned a bachelor of business degree with an accounting major at WIU in 1998.
“Tony has exceeded my expectations for any coach I could have ever imagined working with,” said Boland. “Tony is the epitomy of a ‘players coach’. His ability to relate to the players on the team is extraordinary. The players absolutely love playing for him and have the highest regard for his ability to develop their tennis. Although he does an outstanding job in all aspects of coaching at the collegiate level, his greatest attribute is his incredible passion for developing players and helping them grow as people. I feel extremely fortunate to work with someone who has the same goals and ambitions as I do. I consider Tony a great friend and someone I respect and admire, which makes working with him all the more enjoyable.”
