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Throughout his 12 seasons at the helm of the Baylor tennis program, head coach Matt Knoll has produced phenomenal results. Since arriving at Baylor in 1997, Knoll has amassed a 286-70 (.803) record over 12 seasons. His teams have captured eight Big 12 Conference regular season titles and six Big 12 Tournament championships, including six in a row beginning in 2002, the 2004 NCAA championship, the 2005 National Team Indoor title, an NCAA runner-up finish in 2005 and NCAA semifinal appearances in 2006 and 2007. In addition, he was named National Coach of the Year three times (1999, 2005, 2008). Knoll was recently inducted into the Baylor Athletic Hall of Fame, becoming just the second tennis representative to receive the prestigious honor. Baylor, the nation's most successful collegiate men's tennis team over the past six seasons, has been ranked no lower than No. 8 in the final poll during that span. The Bears were ranked No. 1 after winning the 2004 NCAA championship, No. 2 in the final poll in `05, No. 4 in `03, '06 and '07 and No. 8 in 2008. From 2004-2007, Baylor was the only men's team to advance to the NCAA semifinals each of those four years. During that span, the Bears posted a 118-14 (.894) mark and in the past seven years Knoll's teams are an impressive 198-26 (.884). In 2008, with just one senior on the squad, Baylor posted a 25-9 record and finished the season at No. 8. Senior Lars Poerschke and sophomore Denes Lukacs earned ITA All-American honors in singles. The Bears were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the Elite Eight by top-ranked and undefeated Virginia. They won the program's seventh straight regular season Big 12 season title and eighth overall and notched another Big 12 Championship title. The Bears completed their 2007 campaign with a 28-4 mark and were ranked No. 4 in the FILA/Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) final national rankings. After losing NCAA singles champions Benjamin Becker (2004) and Benedikt Dorsch (2005), Baylor was not expected to maintain the level of excellence it enjoyed during the Becker/Dorsch reign. However, Knoll proved that it was not just the talent on the court that mattered; coaching has a great deal to do with the final results as well. In 2006, Knoll's squad surprised many by advancing to the NCAA semifinals; the Bears duplicated the feat in 2007. The 2004 and 2005 campaigns proved to be, to this point, the most successful in the program's history. The men's tennis team brought Baylor its first team national title in school history in 2004. The Bears posted a 32-2 record, ending the season on a 24-match win streak. Baylor claimed the Big 12 Conference title, along with the Big 12 Tournament title before going on to claim the NCAA championship. In 2005, Baylor posted a 33-1 record and sported a 57-match win streak, which was halted in the championship match loss to UCLA. Baylor recorded its fourth consecutive Big 12 regular season and tournament titles as well. Dorsch, a senior, claimed the program's second straight NCAA singles title in 2005 following Becker's 2004 championship. In 1996, Baylor finished 7-14 overall and did not win a conference match. Following that season, Baylor hired Knoll to be the men's tennis coach and lead the Bears in the Big 12's inaugural season. The Bears finished eighth in the Big 12 in 1997, and since then have finished either first or second every year. On the national level, Baylor had its best finish in 2004. In 2004, Baylor brought home the NCAA team title and Becker won the NCAA singles crown. Baylor has finished the season ranked in the top 10 nine times; No. 1 in 2004, second in 2005, fourth in 2003, 2006 and 2007, seventh in 2000 and 2002, eighth in 2008 and 10th in 1999. The Bears have made 11 straight NCAA Tournament appearances and have reached the round of 16 eight of the past nine seasons, including the championship match in 2004 and 2005. Under Knoll's guidance, the Bears have produced two NCAA singles champions (Becker and Dorsch); two ITA Players of the Year (Dorsch, twice) and eight players have earned All-American status (18 times). In fact, Dorsch earned double All-American status in all three of his seasons at Baylor. Two Knoll pupils, Becker and Dorsch, are currently enjoying tremendous success on the ATP Tour. Becker has ranked among the tour's top 50 while Dorsch has been ranked as high as 160. In addition, Becker was selected to represent his native Germany in 2007 Davis Cup competition. Before arriving at Baylor, Knoll was a proven winner. Becoming a powerhouse has been a step-by-step process for Baylor, each step a major stride. In his first season at Baylor, Knoll inherited a team with no seniors that had a 0-7 conference record. Knoll's first squad improved to 13-12 overall, adding Johann Jooste, David Hodge and Johannes Michalsky to the team. Year two saw the Bears improve dramatically, jumping from eighth to second in the Big 12 and earning the first NCAA Tournament bid in program history. The Bears continued to grow in year three of the Knoll era, as Baylor showed signs of the success that was to come. Baylor finished second in the Big 12 for the second time and the Bears earned a top-10 final ranking after advancing to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals. In 1999, Knoll's third a Baylor, the Bears registered their first 20-win season, finishing at 25-4. Baylor upset defending national champion Stanford that season and reached the NCAA quarterfinals. In year four, the Bears took the first of eight Big 12 titles going 8-0 in conference play. The 2000 roster featured three All-Americans: Jooste, who earned honors in singles, while Hodge and Mark Williams were honored for doubles. In 2002, the Bears won their second Big 12 regular season title, the first of what proved to be six in a row. They took both the Big 12 Conference regular season and the championship titles, a first for the evolving program. The Bears went undefeated in conference, 7-0, for the second time in three years and then-freshman Becker earned All-American honors. In 2003, the Bears inched closer to the national title, advancing to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals and finished the season ranked fourth, a program-best at the time for Baylor. The Bears won their third Big 12 title, positioning themselves for a 2004 national championship run. Before arriving at Baylor, Knoll served as an assistant coach for two years at the University of Kansas. During his time in Lawrence, the Jayhawks won two Big Eight Conference titles, two Region V championships and made two NCAA Tournament appearances. Knoll coached three All-Americans, three Davis Cup players and one Olympian at Kansas. He worked in a number of capacities at Kansas, including a stint as the director of the 1996 Big Eight Conference Tournament. Knoll was also the director of the Lawrence Tennis Association (LTA), a community tennis association that organized junior and adult-level leagues and tournaments along with junior tennis leagues. Before coaching at Kansas, Knoll spent one year as the head men's tennis coach at Northern Iowa. He helped rebuild a program that was virtually non-competitive before his arrival. Prior to accepting the job at Northern Iowa, Knoll served as a teaching professional at the Overland Park (Kan.) Racquet Club for three years. Knoll's first coaching experience came at the University of South Alabama, where he spent one year as the assistant men's and women's coach. Under his guidance, both squads were also crowned Sun Belt Conference champions. Prior to coaching, Knoll enjoyed success as a player. He began his collegiate career at Kansas State, where he participated until the program was dropped. From there, he transferred to Washburn University for the remainder of his collegiate career. He received Academic All-American honors and was voted the team's Most Valuable Player. Knoll finished out his playing career by traveling on the Satellite Professional Tour. He graduated Cum Laude from Washburn University and went on to earn a Masters of Arts degree from Kansas. Knoll is a USA Tennis High Performance Coach and a USPTA Professional. He was recently selected to participate in the United States Tennis Association's (USTA) High Performance Continuing Education Program at the Davis Cup finals between Russia and the United States this past December in Portland, Ore. Knoll resides in Waco with his wife, Greta, a Minnesota native. They are the proud parents of twin sons, Erik and Karch, born in February 2003.
The Matt Knoll File
Record at Baylor - 286-70 (.803)
Coaching Achievements |
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