Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Alison Silverio Named Women's Tennis Head Coach

July 6, 2018

By Michael Scholl

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Alison Silverio, a national champion in her playing days at Georgia Tech and the architect of one of the nation’s top program turnarounds at Oregon, has been named women’s tennis head coach at the University of Notre Dame. Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick announced the appointment of Silverio on Friday, July 6.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Alison to the Notre Dame family,” said Swarbrick. “Her playing career, including a national championship at Georgia Tech, speaks for itself. During her time as a coach, she has contributed to the improvement of each and every program she has touched. Alison is the perfect person to take the reins of our women’s tennis program and we couldn’t be more excited about the impact she will have on our student-athletes.”

“I believe in the integrity, the academic and athletic superiority, and the Catholic mission revered by the University of Notre Dame,” Silverio said of her appointment. “Therefore, it is my distinct honor and privilege to assume the role of Notre Dame’s head Women’s Tennis coach. It is with sincere gratitude and appreciation that I thank (University President) Father Jenkins, Jack Swarbrick and (Assistant Athletics Director) Heidi Uebelhor for entrusting me to lead, coach and educate our Fighting Irish student-athletes. Also, I am grateful to (Oregon athletics director) Rob Mullens, (Oregon senior associate athletics director) Eric Roedl and the University of Oregon for providing my first opportunity to be a head coach. I am humbled by the success and growth my former student-athletes have achieved.

“My objective will be to build on the rich legacy that Jay Louderback and our alumnae have created for our program. I am committed to a relentless work ethic to enhance a student-athlete experience and a championship culture. Notre Dame and our women’s tennis program represent everything excellent in collegiate athletics. Our student-athletes will continue to uphold our ethical standard and tradition both on and off the court. Be assured of my utmost esteem and respect for Notre Dame. Go Irish!”

Her debut season saw Oregon among the ITA team rankings for the longest stretch since 2009, while she inked a top-15 recruiting class as her first signing class in Eugene. Season two saw the Ducks go 11-11 while starting league play 3-0, the best start in Pac-12 action since 2004.

In her third season at Oregon, Silverio’s Ducks posted their best overall record (14-11) in 11 years and top conference mark (6-4) in 13 seasons. After reaching the Pac-12 semifinals via an upset of UCLA, the Ducks earned their first NCAA tournament bid in a decade.

The Ducks topped that overall win total in 2018, going 16-10 and 5-5 in Pac-12 play. Oregon returned to the NCAA tournament, defeating No. 38 Tennessee in the first round before falling to third-ranked Duke. It was Oregon’s first NCAA tournament win in 14 years and its highest-ever national ranking of No. 17 came along the way. In addition, Alyssa Tobita qualified for the NCAA Singles Championship, the first Duck to do so since 2006.

Silverio’s head coaching debut at Oregon followed assistant coaching stints in the ACC at Georgia Tech, her alma mater, and NC State. As an assistant at Georgia Tech, Silverio helped assemble the nation’s top-ranked recruiting class in 2012, along with the No. 6 signing class in 2013. The 2013 season also saw her help guide the nation’s top-ranked doubles team, which won the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championship and the ITA Regional Doubles title, while capping back-to-back NCAA Sweet 16 appearances for the Yellow Jackets.

She spent three seasons in Raleigh, North Carolina, helping NC State earn NCAA tournament bids in 2008 and 2010 and was instrumental in the Wolfpack signing a top-25 recruiting class in 2010, then the highest-ranked class in program history.

As a player at Georgia Tech, Silverio helped lead the Yellow Jackets to the 2007 NCAA title. She clinched the national championship with a win at two singles, garnering NCAA tournament MVP honors. She also helped Tech to ACC Championships from 2005-07, earning ACC All-Tournament Team honors twice and ACC Tournament MVP honors in 2005. As a senior, the Yellow Jackets captured the ITA National Indoor title for the first time in school history.

Silverio departed Georgia Tech as the program’s all-time leader in doubles wins (98), second in singles wins (107) and fourth in singles winning percentage (.711).

The Louisville, Ohio, native was a four-time selection to both the ACC Honor Roll and ACC All-Academic Team while winning the ITA Scholar-Athlete Award in 2005 and 2007. As a senior, Silverio won the ITA Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship & Leadership Award, the Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship and an ACC Postgraduate Scholarship.

Silverio takes over for the retiring Jay Louderback, who helmed the Irish program for the past 29 seasons. Louderback led the Irish to 24 NCAA tournament appearances during his tenure, including two trips to the NCAA semifinals.

Alison Silverio By The Numbers

As A Player

  • 1 NCAA Team Championship
  • 1 NCAA Championship MVP
  • 1 ACC Championship MVP
  • 3 ACC Team Championships
  • 2 ACC All-Tournament Team Selections
  • 98 Career Doubles Wins
  • 107 Career Singles Wins
  • 1 ITA Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship & Leadership Award
  • 4 ACC Honor Roll Selections
  • 4 ACC All-Academic Team Accolades
  • 2 ITA Scholar-Athlete Awards

As A Coach

  • 16 Wins By Oregon in 2017-18, the most since 2005-06
  • 6 Pac-12 Wins By Oregon in 2016-17, the most since 2004-05
  • 1 NCAA Tournament Win In 2017-18, the first at Oregon since 2004
  • No. 15 nationally-ranked recruiting class by TennisRecruiting.net, the highest in Oregon history
  • No. 1 nationally-ranked recruiting class as an assistant at Georgia Tech (2012)

— ND —

Michael Scholl has been a member of the Fighting Irish Media communications staff at his alma mater since August 2016. He serves as the secondary contact for the Irish football and hockey teams while coordinating communications efforts for the women’s tennis program. Scholl has previously worked in communications at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, Providence College, Vanderbilt University and the University of Cincinnati. The South Bend, Indiana, native earned a degree in political science from the College of Arts and Letters in 2009.