May 27, 2009

Val Villucci Returns to URI as Head Women's Tennis Coach

May 27, 2009

KINGSTON, R.I. - University of Rhode Island director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn has announced the hiring of Val Villucci as head coach of the URI women's tennis program. Villucci - who coached the Rhody men's squad from 2004-08 - returns to the University after taking a year off following the elimination of the URI men's program in the spring of 2008.

In her last season with the Rams, Villucci guided the team to an overall record of 17-6 and saw her squad break into the April 22 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) weekly poll with a No. 102 ranking.

Prior to heading up the Rhody men's squad, Villucci coached the URI women from 1993-2004.

"We are so excited to have Val back as our women's tennis coach," Bjorn said. "She has been a part of the URI athletics family for a long time and we know that with her leading the team, we won't miss a beat. We have a great group of returning players coming back next fall so we certainly anticipate another very successful season."

A 1981 graduate of Rollins College, Villucci was a member of the nationally-ranked Lady Tars' tennis team. She is a former Virginia Slims competitor and was the top-ranked women's singles player in Rhode Island in 1983, as well as being part of the top-ranked doubles team in 1990. In 1992, Villucci won the United States Tennis Association (USTA) 5.0 mixed doubles divisional championship.

From 1983-89, she served as head coach of the boys' tennis team at Smithfield High School, where she guided the squad to the league championship in 1984 and a second-place finish in 1985. In 1989, Villucci left Smithfield to become a tennis professional for four years at The Tennis Club in Cranston, R.I., including two as the club's head pro.

Villucci holds a membership in the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) at the Professional-1 level and was a USPTA Eastern Regional Seminar Contest winner for her presentation called "Success at the College Level." She currently runs USTA sanctioned tournaments and was inducted into the Sons of Italy Sports Hall of Fame in the spring of 2006.

Villucci replaces Sandy Wood who guided the 2008-09 women's tennis team to its third consecutive New England Championship title this past fall. The team finished with an overall record of 15-4 (3-2 against A-10 teams), including a 4-3 victory over Atlantic 10 foe Massachusetts, which Rhody had not defeated in roughly 20 years.