Nevolo Tabbed Associate Head Coach
Aug. 3, 2017
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s tennis assistant coach Jeff Nevolo has been promoted to associate head coach, head coach Kevin Epley announced today.
Nevolo, the 2016 ITA Carolina Region Assistant Coach of the Year, has been with the program since his hire in 2014.
“Jeff is a tireless worker and exceptional coach,” Epley said. “We have worked side-by-side for three years now and I am very happy he has earned this title – it is well deserved. We have big plans for the future and at this point, it’s important that he is viewed more as a head coach rather than a traditional assistant.”
A native of Gurnee, Ill., Nevolo has played a key role in Carolina’s success over the past three years.
In 2017, he helped lead the Gamecocks to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 2009 and their seventh overall appearance in the round of 16. On the year, Carolina posted a 20-win season, its first since 1995. Freshman Mia Horvit was named to the Women’s Tennis All-American Team, becoming the first freshman in program history to earn the honor for singles play.
Nevolo played a pivotal role in helping South Carolina turn in one of its best seasons in school history in 2016. The Gamecocks cracked the top 10 for the first time since 1983, hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2002 and finished with 19 wins, their most since 1995. Doubles teammates Hadley Berg and Paige Cline went on to become the program’s first All-Americans since 1994 after capturing a pair of top-10 victories at the NCAA Doubles Championships.
In his first year with South Carolina, Nevolo helped Epley and the Gamecocks qualify for the NCAA Tournament for the 21st time in a row. South Carolina reached the second round of the tournament for the 18th time in those 21 years and nearly upset Virginia for a trip to the NCAA Championships. The Gamecocks finished the season with a 15-11 record and went 6-7 in the SEC.
“I’m very excited to be named associate head coach,” he said. “I can’t thank coach Epley, Judy Van Horn and coach Tanner enough for this honor. It’s been an amazing three seasons at South Carolina and I’m very proud to be a Gamecock. I look forward to continuing to help Kevin build this program and get back out on the courts this season with our great group of student-athletes.”
Before his arrival in Columbia, Nevolo spent the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons as an assistant for the Air Force men’s tennis program and was an assistant for the men’s team at Alabama for a year prior to his time with the Falcons.
At Air Force, he was promoted to associate head coach prior to his second season. He then helped the Falcons to their first winning record since 2006, as Air Force finished the season with a 13-12 record and achieved its highest national ranking ever at No. 63 in late February. A 4-3 victory over 49th-ranked BYU early in the season marked AFA’s first over a ranked team since Feb. 4, 2005. Air Force also won its first regular-season Mountain West dual match since 2003.
In his one season at Alabama, Nevolo helped the Crimson Tide to a 10-15 record, and players Jarryd Botha and Ricky Doverspike advance to the round of 16 at the 2012 NCAA Doubles Championships.
Nevolo began his coaching career at his alma mater, Ball State, in 2009 as a volunteer assistant before being promoted to assistant coach the following year. During the spring, he helped Ball State capture the Mid-American Conference title for the first time since 2005, which gave the Cardinals an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
For more information on South Carolina women’s tennis, follow the team on Twitter and Instagram at gamecockwtennis, or visit GamecocksOnline.com for updates.
