Now entering her ninth year as the Head Women's Tennis Coach at Bryant University in 2008-09, Barbara Cilli has quickly turned the Bryant program into a conference power and participant in the NCAA tournament.Cilli was also named the school's Director of Tennis to begin the 2008 year. She will now lead the team into their first season at the Division I level.
Under Cilli's direction, the Bulldogs captured five consecutive Northeast-10 Conference Championships from 2004 to 2008, posting undefeated records in 2004, 2005, and 2008. In addition, the Bulldogs have advanced to the NCAA Division II championships in each of those five years, hosting the Northeast regional in 2007-2008.
Last season, the Bulldogs posted an overall record of 24-3, including a 12-0 record in the Northeast-10. Bryant won their 5th consecutive Northeast-10 conference regular season and tournament titles, finishing off the tournament with a 5-0 sweep over St. Michael's. The squad reached the second round of the NCAA tournament before being knocked off by Slippery Rock. Cilli accomplished all of this with five new players.
The Bulldogs hosted the NCAA regional championships at the new Bryant Tennis Court Complex in 2006 and again this past season in 2008.
In 2005, Bryant posted a 22-2 overall record including a 13 match win streak that led the Bulldogs to the finals of the NCAA Northeast Regional. Led by the play of two-time conference player of the year and ITA East Region Champion Sacha Solomon, the Bulldogs picked up their first NCAA victory with a 5-2 win over Queens (NY) in the first round.
Cilli came to Bryant in tumultuous times for the Bulldog program and gave the program stability and credibility in short order. She was hired in the spring of 2000 following the passing of former coach Anthony Wocke.
Inheriting a team that had gone just 1-7 in the Northeast-10 in the year prior to her arrival, Cilli needed just two seasons to get the Bulldogs back to .500 in the conference.
Cilli's 2002-03 squad finished the season at 8-4 in the Northeast-10 and 9-9 overall, giving the Bulldogs their most wins in eight years and narrowly missing a spot in the NCAA Division II tournament.
Cilli came to Bryant after spending the 1999 fall season as an assistant coach at Providence College, where she helped the Friars to an 8-0 dual match record and a second-place showing at the New England Championships.
Cilli also has enjoyed a 25-year playing career with United States Tennis Association-sanctioned events, most recently as a member of the Fore Court Tennis Club in Cumberland, R.I. She was a three-time all-state selection as the No. 1 singles player at Cranston West High School before moving on to Providence College. At Providence, Cilli played No. 4 singles and No. 1 doubles and earned team-MVP honors in 1986.
Cilli played in the 2002 USTA women's 4.5 national tournament in San Diego.
Cilli also has worked as the assistant tennis professional at the Point Judith Country Club and the Dune's Club in Narragansett and has been employed as a financial analyst at a number of high profile companies. She received a bachelor's degree in humanities from Providence in 1987 and was awarded an MBA from that institution in 1997. She is a resident of Cumberland, R.I.
