"Sonia did a very nice job in her first year at UVA. It’s clear she wants to create a winning mindset for the team and sets the bar high. Can’t wait to see how the program progresses. "
"Very positive and man of his word. Develops players and cares about every player. Could not have wanted a better coach for my daughter! Best decision ever to play for him. "
"In her first year Sonia hit the ground running and focused on culture first and the results show up on the field. Sonia is engaging and motivating and brought on a talented coaching squad. "
"At first meeting, he seems like a caring and competent coach. This is all fake. He does not know how to build a positive team culture and makes poor decisions on how to use the resources he has on his roster. He is quick to make judgments without an adequate assessment of situations and also took a solid team as a head coach and drove it into the ground to have progressively worse seasons each year. He doesn't have any ability to actually connect with the players and motivate them."
"Not my event coach but he made a big effort to get to know all the athletes on the team regardless of event focus. Super nice to me and extremely passionate about the sport and his athletes. I heard a lot of his athletes say he could be intense sometimes, and I’d see it here and there personally, but overall a nice guy and very effective coach. "
"Trevor is awesome - everything you could want in an assistant coach and more. Very approachable, super nice, and extremely knowledgeable about the sport given his own individual success as a former NCAA athlete and a pro athlete for Nike and Adidas. He believes in everyone on the team and will let you know it. Helpful in race strategy and workout tips. Really fun to talk to. Developing under Vin, he will be a head coach one day. "
"Vin obviously has a very impressive resume with all of his NCAA titles, Olympic coaching credits, authority in USATF, etc. Overall, I had a positive experience with him and graduated on great terms. I had massive breakthroughs in my performances, he awarded me a scholarship after I asked for one (I was a walk on originally). He also provided me a great recommendation after I graduated that helped me land my current job. I spent much of my last year on the team injured, and he still checked in on me a lot during the time. However - he is not above criticism. Vin definitely has his favorites on the team - he often makes up his mind quickly and it can be difficult to change his opinion on things. Many of my teammates who were either injured or not performing to expectations were consistently ignored by Vin. Many felt very isolated and dejected - that he didn’t care about them. Although, Another athlete on the team did have a very serious mental health crisis, and Vin did everything he could to support them - personally calling and talking to them, giving them a ride to class, making sure othered were checking on them, just really going out of his way to make sure this person was OK. It should also be noted that Vin often tends to favor the men over the women. There are of course exceptions to this, but generally speaking I would say he devotes more time to the men, is more impressed when the men do well, and is more understanding when the men don’t do well. He also is definitely biased towards distance events as a director, which is unsurprising. In terms of actual coaching techniques, I really enjoyed his training plans and his specific workouts. He is very hands on and direct for training. He’s there watching and commenting for every rep of every workout. His race prep planning is detailed and very tactically strong. Overall, I individually had a good experience and know many who had the same, but this was not necessarily a universal experience. It should be noted though that most of those who were not favored by Vin were not his recruited athletes, but leftovers from Dunn, Megan, Watson, or Morgan. If he recruited you you’re probably fine. "
"The man you you want your son to play for, period. As good and decent a person as there is in the sport and as humble as they come. Lars coaches the whole person, not just the player."
"Kevin Is a fantastic coach and loves athletes with heart and grit. He however has trouble finding assitant coaches that are as great and kind as he is. "
"Well it looks like Coach Pedroso did not like the negative, albeit honest reviews so he LOADED a bunch of positive ones ALL on 3/3 (10 in total). Clearly, this action just highlights his deceitful nature. Look in the mirror "Coach"--read the real reviews and do something about it other than writing your own fictitious reviews. Oh, ok maybe he asked his current players to write some too--OF COURSE they will write positive ones...the coach holds ALL the power...guess who determines who plays and who does not and on which court?!"
"I’ll keep this one short and sweet.
If you think that your kid has professional aspirations and you feel cheated because Andres not only taught him the right way but also encouraged him to do what he wanted to do in life, even if that meant pursuing a career off the court, it doesn’t make Andres a bad coach. It makes you a self-centered and shite parent. You should want your son or daughter to succeed no matter what. If that means they’re a successful businessperson, you should be grateful that coach Pedroso encourage them to succeed on the court as well as in the classroom. "
"This coach is an example of what you want in a college tennis coach, a mentor, a friend, and more.
He cares about his player’s deeply - not just as athletes, but as students and people. He wants to see you succeed in all facets of your life. He wants you to crush it, on and off the court.
He’s not overbearing and he won’t grind his players to the bone with excessive practices, nor will he angrily light into them. You’re talking about a former top-25 ITA player himself, for a rival school no less. He knows the pressure to succeed.
Think about what he’s accomplished. Following the most successful period in school history, he was given a class that he did not recruit and endured a tough year. Those recruits could’ve transferred when not given playing time. Instead, most stayed all four years. Those that stayed all graduated and were 2020-2021 ACC Champions as a brotherhood that I’ve never witnessed among a team. "
"Wow. These unfairly negative comments would never be posted like this if they weren't anonymous. All of the players loved Andres - my son was on the team for Andres's first 4 years - and although he's not perfect (show me a perfect coach - or person - anywhere), he's an amazingly honest, upstanding, Boy Scout of a guy. He plays by the book almost to a fault. He communicated clearly with us at every turn, and parents have to realize that even if your son is a great player, if he DNFs his matches, he won't have the standing he needs to compete at NCAAs. And regarding line-up changes at NCAAs, coaches move line-ups ALL THE TIME. From what we saw, Andres and his coaches make lineup adjustments based on match-ups with other teams (as do all coaches), and there was never once when a player was pulled from a lineup for any reason other than injury or bad match-ups. It floors me that there are parents who think otherwise but to each his own. I would also add what others have, which is you need to meet Andres and speak to him and speak to his players and you will see that all of the negativity here has nothing to do with Andres and everything to do with some bitter parents who have their own issues. He is a man of utmost integrity and if I had multiple sons, I would entrust them to Andres and the UVA mens tennis program in a heartbeat."
"A fantastic coach and great person. Recruits great kids and occasionally gets stuck with crazy jerk parents. Talk to the players. Ignore the parents. Granted, I’m a parent. But I saw the problem parents up close and know their issues. If you’re a parent with a tennis player, you’ve probably seen the type. If you want your player to have an outstanding Division I tennis, team and academic experience, you will not find a better coach than Andres or university than Virginia. The character problems reside with the complaining parents, not with Andres. You will not find a more honest person, to a fault. And the kids love the place and the person."
"Honor, rigor, attention to detail, effort, toughness, integrity, competitive intensity, teamwork, collaboration, compassion and love are all values imparted by Coach Pedroso."
"It's remarkable to see the words of some parents on here. I played with many of their kids and their kids would agree, that Andres is a one-of-a-kind world class human. When parents let their egos get involved, things get ugly. The truth is in my 4 years with Andres, there wasn't a single player who did love, respect, and admire Andres. Parents don't always get what they want and they come here instead. In my experience with Coach Pedroso, as a player, and alumni, Andres creates a dynamic, team first, world class culture. I'd proudly tell any recruit that when they spend four years around Coach Pedroso, they become better tennis players, students, and men, and I mean every word of that. "
"My first year at UVA I got pretty sick in September. When Andres found out I was sick, despite having two young kids at the time, he came to my dorm to pick me up on a Sunday night and drive me to MedExpress to visit a doctor. I was willing to wait and go the following morning, but Andres was so concerned for my wellbeing, especially being apart from my parents, that he took it upon himself to make sure that I received the necessary attention because I was sick. Andres would continue to show the same compassion, support, and leadership to me and my teammates for four years. I'd follow Andres into battle every day of the week and twice on Sunday. "
"Coach Pedroso is a fantastic person and Coach. He creates and fosters an outstanding culture, cares deeply about the well being of his players, supports players with the resources they need to be successful, and is responsive to parents.
The negative commenters on this site have particular axes to grind as what I’ll call insane tennis parents. Their antipathy towards the Coach should be worn as a badge of honor.
Our son had an outstanding experience with the team and coaches, has left UVA with lifelong friends and professional ambition (but not tennis) and will have an enduring relationship with Coach Pedroso. We have and will continue to support the program under his stewardship. I would also tell you that under his stewardship of men’s and women’s tennis, the women’s program has also improved dramatically with outstanding leadership from Coach O’Leary. So for the naysayers, truly, get over yourself. "
"It’s a shame one person can try to paint a picture of a program with 7 different reviews that all sound the same with 100% negativity. Even if Coach Pedroso was half as bad as they made him sound the school wouldn’t have been ACC champs last year and retained 100% of the players that were culture fits for the University. Many of us have watched Coach Pedroso for many years as an assistant at UVA and now head coach. There are many examples of how he manages his program that are best practice for college tennis and for developing young men into adults. If you have a doubt about Coach ask around. Much different than what one person wants you to think. "
"I travel with the team and personally witnessed this. At the 2019 NCAA Team Championships, Pedroso asked the player to lie to his father (who had traveled thousands of miles to see him play) and his teammates to tell them he twisted his ankle, when in fact he wasn’t injured at all. The asst coach and trainer both confirmed the player had no injury. UVA lost that QF match vs. Wake Forest and may have advanced to the semis had the player played. Pedroso showed no remorse or empathy to the player, his parents or the team. His lack of integrity and leadership is continuing to occur within the program. Parents, if you want Pedroso to teach your children to lie to you and their teammates, go ahead and send them to UVA. As someone else has commented here, you’ve been warned. Oh, and he won’t keep any of the promises he makes to you during the recruiting process either."
"Pedroso constantly and consistently displayed lack of ethical and integrity values...he reneged on promised athletic scholarships to multiple families. Can't be a trusted coach with his words! Must put everything in writing!"
"Pedroso only cares about the win. He knows how to turn on the charm and seems like a stand up guy on the surface, that’s only to gain the trust of the players and parents. Once he has a commitment, he turns into a win-at-all costs coach. Often telling players that they aren’t competing well because “it’s all in their heads” which is a coaching cop-out and results in players getting progressively worse because they think somethings wrong with their mental when they just needed a forehand fix. "
"Pedroso cares...only about himself. Our son buys what he says hook, line and sinker and does not see how he is being played. He discourages them from talking to their parents--"you get weird when you talk to your parents." This attitude has hurt our relationship with our son. And, Coach Pedroso promised our son he will play in the NCAAs...just to get him to come back for a fifth year...ok, sure...wake up! Also, be prepared to be asked to give scholarship money back. "
"Seems like a super nice guy and will promise you the world during the recruiting process. None of the promises come to fruition and BTW never trust a guy that says "trust me..." Oh, and he has no clue how to develop players. People erroneously think a recent UVA player who was there for only one semester and is now doing well on the ATP developed his game under Coach Pedroso. The truth is he had to leave UVA to save his game and desire to play from destruction under Pedroso's "guidance." "
"Coach Pedroso is untrustworthy and repeatedly engages in behavior that is dishonest and unethical. He is not the person or coach he appears to be, and he's destroying not only one but multiple (6 highly recruited players) families with his repeated unscrupulous tactics of false promises and fraudulent misrepresentation of the program. He's self serving and is not committed in mentoring and developing his players. If you have pro aspirations, choose another program. "
"Ria is professional, kind, approachable, and always has the player's best interest at heart. She's a role model for her players both on and off the course. Lucky to know her. "
"Coach Fetzer was our head coach but he was not my specific event coach. However, he did take an interest in getting to know everyone on the team and I will continue to use him as a resource going forward."
"Mark is one of the best coaches I had in squash. He always pushes players to work their hardest and be the best version of themselves both on and off the court. "
"Aaron is a very nice coach however there most definitely are favorites on the team. If you are not one of the favorites it is not likely that you will be given a fair chance. He is also a very nice person and genuinely cares about his players but is not good at knowling what to do with the skill on the team."
"Mark is the best coach in college squash. He has incredible knowledge of the sport, but above all, he cares so deeply about his players. Mark is intense, competitive and demands work, but you want to work for him. Rarely do I feel like he is abusing my time. Rather, practices are super enjoyable and I look forward to heading over to the courts!"
"Overall a very nice guy who has good intentions but doesn't do a good job in investing in his players as people and finding ways to make each player reach their individual potential. Knows the game of volleyball very well and has a good on the court system of play but doesn't understand how to create a strong, motivating team dynamic very well."
"He is very intense. Can sometimes be degrading. Do not expect a "nice guy" attitude if being coached by Dennis. He brutally honest and does not care about feelings and will tell you how it is. UVa was awesome but Dennis caused a lot of issues on our team. "
"I don't play yet so its difficult for me to truly know Sonia as a coach. I usually deal with the assistant coach Katie Feely, who is our defensive coach and Mike Molster our volunteer coach. Sonia is tough, but fair. My mental health has suffered at times, but she's just doing her job."
"Very understanding about what it means to be a college student, but not very involved in the coaching process what so ever. I'm pretty sure the only thing she does is talk to media."
"It was short lived, but I had a great experience. The coach was committed and caring. More funding for student athletes is something I believe the NCAA should consider., If they want to continue attracting and keeping high level athletic talent. At many school, a lot of sports like tennis, swimming, and track for instance have very limited scholarship budgets."
"Coach Tiffany is a leader by example. His philosophy about performing every-day, while holding each other accountable. It's great to see not only how Coach Tiffany is continuing to build the culture at UVA, but also be able to build young leaders."
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