SAN ANTONIO — UTSA Director of Athletics Lynn Hickey announced Monday that she has named Rodrigo da Silva as head coach of the men's tennis program. His appointment is effective Dec. 1.
“We are very excited to announce that Rodrigo will lead our men’s tennis program,” Hickey said. “He brings a lot of experience and success at a high level to UTSA. We are confident that he will help our program continue to compete for conference championships and NCAA postseason appearances.
“Rodrigo’s success in college tennis is a great story. He will not only bring us great expertise in the sport, but he will also be a great ambassador for UTSA in helping us build relationships throughout the city of San Antonio and surrounding areas.”
"I am very thankful to Lynn Hickey, Colin Howlett and the search committee for giving me this great opportunity to lead the UTSA men's tennis program," da Silva said. "I believe in the potential of UTSA and I have high expectations for everyone involved. I am very excited to begin working with them right away and help them achieve new heights."
Da Silva comes to UTSA from Pepperdine, where he served as an assistant coach since July 2014. He helped lead the Waves to an 18-10 record, a top-40 national ranking and the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2015. He helped tutor a quartet of All-West Coast Conference performers, including the first-team doubles duo of Guilherme Hadlich and Rakshay Thakkar.
Prior to his time in Malibu, da Silva spent six years as an assistant coach at Louisville. There, he helped guide the Cardinals to three Big East Conference tournament titles and five NCAA Tournament appearances.
A native of Brazil, da Silva helped lead Louisville to the 2014 American Athletic Conference Tournament semifinal round and to the NCAA Tournament in his last year with the Cardinals. The year prior, Louisville ended its Big East run with a runner-up showing at the league tournament.
In da Silva's first year with the Cardinals, they posted a 21-7 record and made the first of four consecutive NCAA appearances behind Big East Player of the Year and former UTSA graduate assistant coach Austen Childs.
The next season, Louisville registered a program-best 24-6 mark, won the 2010 Big East title and advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the first time in school history. The Cardinals spent the entire season in the national top 20 and were ranked as high as No. 10, while Childs was the NCAA singles runner-up and earned All-America accolades.
Da Silva was named 2011 ITA Ohio Valley Region Assistant Coach of the Year after guiding the Cardinals to their second straight Big East crown and third consecutive NCAA Tournament. Childs was named BIG EAST Player of the Year for the third time and became Louisville's first two-time All-American.
In 2013, Louisville captured its third straight conference championship and Sebastian Stiefelmeyer was named Big East Freshman of the Year.
Da Silva was the head coach for the men's and women's programs at Anderson College, his alma mater, in 2006-08. He was a two-time Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year.
He led the men to an overall record of 52-21 and a perfect 28-0 mark in league play. The Trojans made trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament in each of his three years at the helm. He coached All-American, ITA Rookie of the Year and Conference Carolinas Player of the Year Philip Pakebusch.
Additionally, da Silva guided the women to an eight-win improvement from his first to final season with a 12-8 record.
Da Silva also has coaching experience at the IMG Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Bradenton, Fla., the West View Tennis Center in Morgantown, W.Va., and the Cardinal Tennis Club in Anderson, S.C.
As a player at Anderson, da Silva helped guide the team to the 1996 National Christian College Athletic Association championship after winning national titles in singles and doubles.
He earned his bachelor's degree in sports science from Anderson in 2000 and his master's degree in athletic coaching education from West Virginia in 2003.
Da Silva and his wife, Cassie, have two sons, Luca and Caden.