August 30, 2018

A New Home-Court Advantage for UVA Tennis

Jeff White | University News

For decades, the Sheridan Snyder Tennis Center has served the University of Virginia and the local community well.

Located on Grounds next to Memorial Gymnasium, Snyder has also been the outdoor home of the UVA men’s and women’s teams since 1997, and they’ve celebrated countless memorable victories there. Building on this successful history, a new chapter in Virginia tennis will be written at another site.
 
UVA plans to build a new outdoor tennis complex adjacent to the Boar’s Head Sports Club. The impetus for the project was the lead gift committed by the Altec/Styslinger Foundation last year. Since receiving the gift, the athletics department has been working with Director of Tennis Andres Pedroso, who is also the head men’s coach, and head women’s coach Sara O’Leary to design the new home for Virginia tennis.

 
“We are extremely grateful to the Altec/Styslinger Foundation for their remarkable commitment to helping us make this facility a reality,” Director of Athletics Carla Williams said. “Their lead gift created the momentum we needed, and we are confident our tennis supporters will help us bring the project to completion. The future is very bright for both programs.”
 
The Styslinger family’s connection to the tennis program began with Mac Styslinger, who helped UVA capture three NCAA team titles (2013, ‘15 and ‘16) during his college career. As a freshman in 2013, he teamed with Jarmere Jenkins to win the NCAA doubles championship.
 
“I think Mac had a great experience here, and as a result his entire family has made UVA tennis an integral part of their lives,” Pedroso said.
 
The Cavaliers’ indoor courts are already located at the Boar’s Head, next to the McArthur Squash Center. The new outdoor complex will include six collegiate competition courts and one exhibition court, as well as a pavilion that will house locker rooms, coaches’ offices, a strength and conditioning area, a sports medicine area, space for academic support and a nutrition station.
 
“I think it’s going to be the best facility in the ACC and likely in the country,” Pedroso said. “It’s a major game-changer for both programs.”
 
Currently, UVA coaches spend some of their time at the McCue Center, some at the Boar’s Head, and some at Snyder, where the teams’ locker rooms are housed in the nearby Lady Astor building.
 
The players “get the vast majority of their physiotherapy, their treatment, in the McCue Center or in University Hall,” Pedroso said, “while the location of our tennis training varies from Snyder to the Boar’s Head, depending on the weather.”
 
That will change when the new complex is built.
 
“First and foremost,” Pedroso said, “it’s going to enhance our student-athletes’ lives and their day-to-day schedules, as far as having everything in one place – indoor, outdoor, strength and conditioning, physiotherapy – and just co-existing in one place where they train, compete and recover in a professionalized atmosphere. The facility will also take advantage of the Boar’s Head’s spectacular views.”
 
O’Leary said: “It’s going to be an incredible place for the student-athletes. The facility allows us to consolidate all of the resources they need in one location, and being right next to the indoor courts, only further enhances the quality of their overall training experience.”
 
For the coaches, O’Leary said, “I just think we’ll be able to be so much more efficient with our time, because we’ll be at one location. We can come in, go into our offices, meet with the athletic trainer, and walk out to the courts for an individual workout. The facility will only heighten our focus on player development, team-building, and world-class communication among the coaches and players.”
 
The project, which is in the design phase, is expected to cost approximately $10.5 million, which does not include annual operational and maintenance expenses. A final cost estimate is expected to be completed by December.
 
Including the lead gift from the Altec/Styslinger Foundation, the Virginia Athletics Foundation has raised $8.2 million for the project. With the conceptual study completed, the fundraising campaign for the project will intensify. Construction on the new complex will not start until fundraising is complete.