Mat Iandolo Named Women’s Tennis Head Coach
GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNC Greensboro (UNCG) Athletics announced today that Mat Iandolo has been named women's tennis head coach. Iandolo most recently spent five years with the Butler Bulldogs, serving four of those as head coach.
"We are very excited to welcome Mat and his family to Greensboro," said Director of Athletics Brian Mackin. "Mat brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to UNCG. He is a proven winner who has the respect of his peers and has demonstrated his ability to recruit and develop a positive culture at different Division I institutions."
Iandolo comes to UNCG with 32 years of experience as a head coach with stops at Butler, Utah and Purdue. He reached the 300-career win mark during his time with the Bulldogs. Iandolo has taken seven teams to the NCAA Tournament reaching regional finals twice and eight times with individuals. During Iandolo's career, he has been named Coach of the Year four times and won one regular season and one tournament championship.
"I am beyond thrilled to be the new coach at UNCG," said Iandolo. "I see UNCG as a sleeping giant in the SoCon and beyond and I see no reason why this program can't compete at the top of the league and do so in a relatively rapid amount of time. With each opportunity I have had, I have built the programs from the ground up and am unbelievably proud of that and I look forward to doing it here. I would like to thank Director of Athletics Brian Mackin, Executive Associate Athletic Director for Internal Operations Jennifer Aguilar, Executive Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator Jody Smith, and Men's Tennis Head Coach Jeff Trivette for all their help in making this happen."
Iandolo's Time at Butler
Iandolo was at Butler a total of five years with four years at the helm of the program starting in 2019. He guided the Bulldogs to a record of 11-12 during the 2023 spring season. Butler went an impressive 4-2 in BIG EAST regular season play and won their first round BIG EAST Tournament match before falling to DePaul, 4-2, in the quarterfinals. Natalie Boesing earned a Top 20 position in the final ITA rankings for the Ohio Valley Region during the 2023 season.
Iandolo led the 2022 Bulldogs to their best ever BIG EAST Tournament seeding. The team's 8-14 record earned Butler the No. 5 seed and a first-round bye.
In his first season at Butler, the Bulldogs posted a 6-7 record before competition was canceled on March 14, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the 2020-21 season, Iandolo led the Bulldogs to a quarterfinal appearance in the BIG EAST Tournament, the farthest the team had advanced in the BIG EAST Tournament since joining the conference.
Iandolo arrived in Indianapolis after 12 seasons at Utah, which followed 16 seasons leading the women's tennis program at Purdue.
Iandolo's Time at Utah
In 2019, Iandolo led Utah to a top-50 finish in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's final poll, coming in at No. 44. Utah also posted a No. 2 ranking in the ITA Mountain Region poll. It marked the fifth straight year that the Utes had been ranked in the top five in the Mountain Region, earning back-to-back No. 1 rankings in 2014 and 2015.
Six of Iandolo's 12 seasons at Utah included a Top 50 finish in the final ITA national rankings. The Utes had a doubles team ranked in the final poll in seven of the last eight seasons, including a program-high No. 36 final doubles ranking during that time span. The Utes earned bids to the NCAA Tournament in 2012, 2011 and 2010.
In 2019, the Utes won the ITA Community Service Award for a second year in a row. Utah was involved with Team IMPACT and the Tommy Tough Foundation, held bowling nights with community members who have special needs, volunteered at the Ronald McDonald house where they read and interacted with the children and helped host "Trunk or Treat" during Halloween for children in the community.
For their work in the classroom, Utah women's tennis program landed three student-athletes on the 2019 Pac-12 All-Academic teams, highlighted by senior Brianna Chisholm, who was also named the 2019 Pac-12 Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Chisholm is one of three Utes who have earned three first-team selections, joining Jena Cheng (2018, 2017, 2016) and Callie Craig (2014, 2013, 2012).
Iandolo led the Utes to 148 dual wins at Utah. The Utes have competed in the Pac-12 since 2012, a conference that saw seven teams earn bids to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Iandolo has also produced eight All-Pac-12 selections and 13 All-Mountain West Conference selections, including 2011 MWC Women's Tennis Player of the Year Anastasia Putilina and 2008 MWC Freshman of the Year Evgenia Kryuchkova. In addition, Iandolo received Utah's 2009-10 Don B. Reddish Coach of the Year Award.
In 2010-11 Iandolo was named the Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season after leading the Utes to back-to-back conference titles and NCAA Championship appearances.
Iandolo at Purdue
Iandolo served as head coach at Purdue from 1991-2007. He was twice recognized with Big Ten Coach of the Year honors (1998 and 2003) while mentoring 10 student-athletes to All-Big Ten First Team honors. The Boilermakers made five NCAA Tournament appearances during his tenure, advancing to the 2006 regional final.
He also served as an assistant coach early in his career at Kentucky, UCLA, California, and San Diego State (men's assistant coach). During those years, he coached seven All-Americans as well as five WTA Top-300 players. Iandolo is a 1983 graduate of Weber State.
What they are saying:
Brian Kalbas, North Carolina Women's Tennis Head Coach
"UNCG has hired one of the best coaches in the country in Mat Iandolo. He is arguably one of the best recruiters and developers of talent in the country. He has succeeded at every institution, and he will help bring tremendous success to UNCG. Our staff at Carolina is so excited for the Spartans to be getting one of the best coaches in the country in Mat. I also want to congratulate Mat on this incredible opportunity!"
Kevin Epley, South Carolina Women's Tennis Head Coach
"Mat has a very unique set of skills that will take UNCG women's tennis to the next level. He has always been an underdog and a relentless recruiter. He has decades of experience searching out the best-underrated talents nationwide. Mat strongly believes in team culture and recruits student-athletes who will fit into that culture. He builds trust with his players and leverages that trust into the culture, in a way that the student-athletes are motivated to achieve goals set by the team. Mat will be a great asset to the student-athletes, the administration and the UNCG community!"
Doug Matthews, Xavier Women's Tennis Head Coach
"I have known Mat since he took over at Butler in 2019, and I watched him develop student-athletes and create a competitive culture. Mat is a program builder and can bring student-athletes who have a chip on their shoulder. He loves college tennis as much as anyone I have ever met, and I am excited for him to take on this opportunity at UNCG."
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