Women's Tennis
- Title:
- Head Coach - 9th Season
A native of central New Jersey, Ben Bucca enters his 13th season as head coach of the Rutgers women's tennis program. Coach Bucca has guided his teams to tremendous success both on the court and in the classroom, while also spearheading community service projects carried out by team members as the program enters its second season in the prestigious Big Ten Conference.
Bucca boasts an impressive overall record of 154-113 at the helm of the Scarlet Knights. Over the last six years, Bucca has led RU to more than 90 victories and postseason triumphs in nine out of the last 10 seasons.
Under Bucca’s guidance, the team has garnered ITA All-Academic honors nine of the past 11 years with numerous players receiving ITA All-Academic individual honors. In 2015, four Scarlet Knights earned All-Academic accolades, while the program was recognized as an All-Academic team by the organization.
In 2009 and 2010, the Scarlet Knights garnered the most ITA Scholar-Athletes in all of Division I. The team has, under Bucca's leadership, possessed a nation-leading perfect APR score - which measures graduation rate and player retention - five of the past eight years.
Sportsmanship is also an important aspect of Bucca’s approach to collegiate tennis and the team has had impressive accomplishments. In the past five seasons, the program has had four ITA Regional sportsmanship award winners. Two of those winners went on to receive the national ITA Sportsmanship Award for all of college tennis, Amy Zhang in 2011 and Lindsey Kayati in 2015..
Bucca has been significantly involved with national collegiate tennis committees. Currently, he is Region Chair Person of the ITA Northeast Region Committee and previously served on the USTA National Constitution and Rules Committee, the USTA/Eastern Section Constitution and Bylaws Committee, the Division I Operating Committee for the ITA and the USTA Collegiate Committee. He has also been a member of the board of directors for the USTA/Eastern section.
Recognized as one of the most competitive conferences in the nation, Bucca helped guide Rutgers through its inaugural season in the Big Ten. The 2015 edition of the Scarlet Knights captured six team victories and competed against eight nationally-ranked opponents, seven of which were conference opponents.
In 2014, Rutgers completed a successful campaign in its first and only season in the AAC. The Scarlet Knights finished tied for the third in the conference, with a record of 16-5. Graduating senior Vanessa Petrini was named to the AAC All-Conference Team, in addition to Stefania Balasa earning the ITA Regional Arthur Ashe Sportsmanship Award. RU showed excellence in the classroom as well, being named the ITA All-Academic Team.
The 2013 season included another BIG EAST Tournament appearance, as the Scarlet Knights posted a 14-9 overall record, including an 8-4 mark in conference action. The team had four players who won 10 or more matches individually, with freshmen Gina Li and Lindsay Kayati leading the team with 16 and 13 victories, respectively.
In 2012, RU notched a 13-10 (.565) record, including a 7-4 mark in conference play. Petrini earned All-BIG EAST Honors and graduating senior Morgan Ivey was the recipient of the ITA/Northeast Region Cissie Leary Sportsmanship award.
In 2011, RU notched a 16-7 record, including a 7-3 mark in conference play. The squad defeated West Virginia in the first round of the BIG EAST Championship before falling to DePaul in the quarterfinals. Amy Zhang earned numerous postseason awards, including All-BIG EAST for the third-straight season, the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete for the sport of tennis for the second-consecutive year and she also earned the ITA National Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award.
Prior to being elevated to head coach in 2003, Bucca was a nine-year assistant for the Scarlet Knights, serving most recently from 2000-2003. Bucca played tennis for St. Joseph's High School in Metuchen, N.J. His career continued at Albright College, where he played first singles, was captain of the team in his senior year and was the school's scholar-athlete. He has a law degree from Seton Hall Law School and practices at the law firm of Bucca and Campisano, New Brunswick, N.J.
An active member of the community, Bucca has served as a member of the Board of Directors for Saint Peter's University Hospital and was previously the chairman of the St. Thomas More Society for the Diocese of Metuchen and a member of the New Brunswick Board of Education. Bucca has also spearheaded several community service projects, having developed relationships with the Alexander Graham Bell Society for the Hearing Impaired and the Challah Bread Foundation. He has also started a rallyball league for the youth in the city of New Brunswick.
Coach Bucca resides in New Brunswick with his wife, Christine, and their two children, Ben and Annie.
