Saint Vincent College Women's Tennis

Kissell joins the women's tennis staff for the 2011-12 season.  A teaching professional, she played for Florida Southern during her collegiate career and graduated from Waynesburg University. Three of her daughters - Michaela, Joelle and Staisha - were Section Champions in high school, while Michaela and Joelle went on to win WPIAL and PIAA state championships.  She has worked with the SVC program in the past, conducting drills as a volunteer assistant, and will elevate her position with the team this season. 

Brian Niemiec joined the coaching staff in 2017 as head men's tennis coach, and added the title of women's head coach in the fall of 2018. He took over the men's program just one month after his graduation from Saint Vincent, making him one of the youngest head coaches in the NCAA.  In his first season leading the men's team in 2018, the Bearcats finished with an 8-9 overall record and a 5-3 record in PAC play. Under Niemiec's guidance, junior Jonathan Prichard claimed his third straight conference Player of the Year award after winning the individual championship in first singles at the PAC Championships. Sophomore Jon Oskin claimed his second straight individual title at second singles.  In 2021, the Bearcat men finished with a 6-2 overall record, advancing to the PAC Championship Tournament.  Niemiec enters the 2022 fall season with a career record of 48-21 on the men's side and 28-36 record on the women's side. In 2022, the Bearcat Men's team finished with an overall record of 15-6, including a trip to the PAC Championship game, in which they fell to Grove City ... On the Women's side, they finished with a 5-9 overall record and 3-4 record in the PAC, falling to Grove City in the PAC tournament ... Niemiec helped lead six men to All-PAC honors with David Lynn earning first team honors, Jon Oskin and Jack Citrone earning second team honors, while the doubles teams of Lynn/Josh Boland and seniors Aaron Kuhn and Mauricio Sanchez earned Honorable Mention All-PAC ... On the women's side Maura Skelley and Angela Popovich were each selected First Team All-PAC in singles play, as well as a doubles tandem ... Lauren Hartner was selected to the PAC Sportsmanship Team. Niemiec, a native of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, and graduate of Penn-Trafford High School, was a three-year member of the team under Coach Enrico Campi. After Campi's passing, Niemiec knew that he wanted to carry on his coach's legacy.   "Coach Campi meant a lot to me and of course he was Bearcat tennis for over 30 years," said Niemiec.  "I plan to keep his legacy going here at Saint Vincent." Niemiec earned a bachelor's degree in communication from Saint Vincent and is currently pursuing a master's degree in management: operational excellence.