Pierce Brandan joined the UIW tennis coaching staff in 2011-12 and took over as the men's head coach in 2014-15. Brandan understands the ins and outs of the program after working for and playing under long-time UIW head coach John Newman.
As an assistant coach at the NCAA Division II level, the men's teams were ranked in his first two years. The move to Division I has been tougher, but Brandan is slowly making headway in the Southland Conference.
In his first season as head coach, Brandan had to deal with injuries to a number of key players. One player who stayed healthy was senior Leo Ivic who was the top player on the team. He posted a 15-14 singles record and earned second team all-Southland Conference honors and was on the all-Academic first team for a second straight year. The team finished the year with a 5-16 record and 0-5 mark in the conference.
A native of Georgetown, Texas, Brandan played four years of tennis with the Cardinals before receiving his bachelor's degree in biology in 2011. He compiled a 9-11 singles record and 14-15 doubles record.
In the classroom as an undergraduate he was a member of the Pre-Med Society and back in 2009 he was recognized with placement on the Heartland Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll.
