Meet The Pros

Our Professional Staff

Boar's Head has a well-rounded staff with exceptional tennis experience. Our staff is comprised of instructors who have played and coached at the highest levels. In seeking the right instructor for your Charlottesville tennis lessons, you will find former USTA ranked players, NCAA collegiate players and coaches and even some with ATP/WTA tour coaching experience. Each instructor comes to court with a passion for teaching. Their individual personalities and knowledge of the game are at your service helping you learn confidently and enjoy the game for life. Whether you have questions about technique, tactics, fitness or the mental game, you can find your answers here.

Troy Porco

PTR - Head Tennis Professional

e: Tporco@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Homestead, Florida
Favorite memory from tennis? Winning ACC titles with UVA women's tennis.

Troy is in charge of development, promotion and supervision of all Tennis and Pickleball programs for adults and seniors; including instruction (individual and clinics), in-house leagues, social events, round robins and USTA Teams. He will also work directly with the Director of Adult Tennis Academy’s in order to package and promote Tennis Academies and other programming geared towards resort guests.

Prior to Boar’s Head, Troy was with the University of Virginia Women’s Tennis program for 12 years, most recently serving five years as the Associate Head Coach and for seven years as the Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach. In Troy’s tenure, Virginia’s program saw the most successful 12-year stretch in the history of UVA Women’s Tennis. Virginia’s team qualified for the NCAA Team Tournament 10 out of 12 years and won two ACC tournament titles. Troy coached two NCAA Singles Champions and numerous ITA All-Americans helping to elevate the UVA program to national prominence. In 2014, Troy was named ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year. Before UVA, Troy was the Head Women’s Tennis Coach at Auburn University for eight years. Troy played collegiately at Florida International University.

George Elias

USPTA, PPR - Tennis Professional and Stringer

e: Gelias@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Florida
Favorite memory from tennis? Going to Wimbeldon

George’s passion for the game and his 20 years of experience as a teaching pro in Northern Virginia have served him well. He was the head pro at Wintergreen Resort and worked at Westwood Country Club as well as the Four Seasons Tennis Club.

While at the Four Seasons, George served with Bob Pass guiding a successful national caliber junior program that produced several notable NCAA Division I players. At Westwood Country Club, he guided all aspects of club tennis, including a successful USTA ladies 3.5 team that competed at districts 9 out of 10 years. George is a thorough and thoughtful teacher who helps you improve your game. George played college tennis at Birmingham Southern College.

Robyn Russell

USPTA, PTR - Tennis Professional

e: Rrussell@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Berryville, Virginia
Favorite place to play? West Side Tennis Club, Forest Hills , New York on grass.

Robyn has spent more than 30 years coaching and teaching tennis. As a college coach, Robyn guided Young Harris College for 10 years. Her team qualified for nationals 9 out of 10 years, won five regional titles and she earned five Coach of the Year honors. In the club environment, Robyn has spent a great deal of time guiding adult players on ALTA and USTA league teams.

In the past Robyn taught at the Atlanta County Club as well as a previous stint at BHSC from 1987-1990. Robyn is certified both by the USPTA and USPTR. She played college tennis at James Madison University and is nationally ranked in the top 25 in the singles division of USTA women’s senior tennis. Robyn continues to compete around the nation.

Ralf Steinbach

USPTA, PTR - Director of Junior Tennis

e: Rsteinbach@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Halle/Saale, Germany
Favorite memory from tennis? Winning a National Championship for The Ohio State University.

Ralf was born and raised in Halle/Saale, Germany, and his upbringing was shaped around the importance of athletics, leadership and teamwork. He was a member of the German Junior Davis Cup from ages 16-18, which prepped him for his winning achievement of U18 German National Champion in doubles in 2010. At age 19, Ralf continued competing on the highest national (GER) and international junior level (ITF), as well on the lower level of the ATP circuit, reaching an ATP high of 1106 in singles and 998 in doubles.

Ralf was a scholarship athlete with The Ohio State University from 2013- 2016. During his time at OSU, he helped the Buckeyes become 4x Big Ten Conference Champions, 3x Big Ten Tournament Champions, 2x All Big Ten Team, 3x Academic All-Big Ten, 2013 NCAA Team Semi Finalist, 2014 ITA National Indoor Champion, 2015 All American, 2015 Academic All American, and 3x Scholar Athlete. He graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Sports Management & Sports Marketing and chose without any hesitation to continue his career path in tennis.

Betsy Nugent

PTR - Leagues Coordinator - Tennis Professional

e: Bnugent@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Shreveport, Louisiana
Favorite memory from tennis? Playing doubles against 1946 Wimbledon Champion, Pauline Betz when she was 76 years old. Inspirational!

Betsy has been teaching tennis in the Charlottesville area for more than 10 years. Her experience at Boar’s Head Sports Club includes teaching private lessons for adults and juniors as well as assisting with in-house leagues and tennis events. Betsy has also been active in coordinating USTA leagues.

She has a special interest in promoting tennis in the CharlottesvilleAlbemarle community and has assisted in implementing the QuickStart and high school development programs for Albemarle County. Her passion for teaching juniors has kept her in good stead as she has coached girl’s high school teams both at Western Albemarle and at Saint Anne’s-Belfield for the past 11 years. Betsy is a certified USPTR instructor and competes at the 4.5 level in the Charlottesville community.

Brian Glass

USPTA, PTR - Director of Adult Tennis Academy

e: Bglass@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Roswell, Georgia
Favorite memory from tennis? Watching my step daughter clinch the deciding match against Texas her senior year at Rice.

Brian has been teaching tennis for more than 20 years. During this time, he has gained a lot of experience teaching in various situations including the country club level. He was also a part owner of a tennis club that catered to all aspects of junior and adult tennis. Along with his teaching expertise, Brian has coached hundreds of USTA and ALTA (Atlanta Lawn Tennis Association) league teams and many have gone on to win local, state, regional and national titles.

Brian is very proud of his winning percentage with the teams he has coached. He is also very proud of the many adult teams he formed with beginning level players, who have continued to play with several of them winning titles within a few years. As a player, Brian has played at the highest level of adult tennis in Atlanta, GA. He played and captained an AA-1 team and also played in a 5.0 pro league for many years. Additionally, Brian’s wife, Kim, competes at the 4.5 level. They also have a daughter, Lindsay, who recently played collegiate tennis at Rice University in Houston, Texas.

Quentin Jenkins

PTR -Tennis Professional

e: Rjenkins@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Charlottesville
Dream place you would want to play? Centre Court Wimbledon right after the tournament ends, when there's no grass on the baseline and almost none within a foot of the service line.

Quentin started playing tennis around 5 years old and started taking regular lessons in 6th grade as part of the Charlottesville Catholic School Tennis Team. He played for 3 years at Albemarle High School and then played for 2 years on the Club Team at Virginia Tech going to Tennis on Campus Nationals both years.

Quentin first started coaching in high school assisting with the Charlottesville Catholic School team. He became certified by the USPTA about 1 week after his 18th birthday, and has been working as a coach ever since then.

Gretchen Rush

Assistant Tennis Professional

Where are you from? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Favorite memory from tennis? Playing Senior Wimbledon and winning the ladies doubles event with one of my tennis heroes Mima Jausovec

Gretchen has been playing tennis since 1975, during which she had an impressive professional career. She was a four-time All-American at Trinity Univeristy in San Antonia, Texas, where she played tennis from 1983 to 1986. While at Trinity, she was the nation’s top collegiate tennis player in 1986 and won the Broderick Award (which is now the Honda Sports Award).

Gretchen reached the singles quarter finals at Wimbledon, the US Open and the French Open during her career. She won three top-level singles titles: Auckland in 1987, Schenectady in 1988 and Moscow in 1989. In 1988 she was runner-up in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon. Gretchen retired from the professional tour in 1992 but has continued to play and teach tennis in the years succeeding.

In 2016, she was inducted to the Women’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.

David Sun

High Performance Coordinator

e: Dsun@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Charlottesville, Virginia
Favorite memory from tennis? Playing at the US Open facility

David began training at the Boar’s Head Sports Club around the age of eight and began competing in junior tournaments shortly after. Throughout his junior career, he was consistently ranked within the top 15 of the Mid-Atlantic section and ranked as high as 60 in the nation. He also played three years on the Albemarle High School tennis team, winning two regional titles and making it to states two years in a row.

David took time off of tennis during his collegiate years to pursue his education at the University of Virginia and to pursue his other passion, music. Now, David is back to the sport he loves and enjoys teaching players of all ages and skill levels.

Gianni Ross

Assistant Tennis Professional

Where are you from? Burr Ridge, Illinois
Favorite memory from tennis? Clinching the national championship point for UVA

Gianni has been playing tennis ever since he could hold a racquet. Gianni had an excellent junior career, playing doubles in the finals of the 2014 Junior Davis Cup for Team USA in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He also played at the 2017 Junior French Open, Junior Wimbledon and Junior US Open, advancing to the quarterfinals in singles and the semifinals in doubles at Roland Garros.

Through college, Gianni played on the University of Virginia’s Men’s Tennis team. He played for the 2022 NCAA championship team and was awarded Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 NCAA Championship, winning the clinching match against Kentucky. He went 24-2 in singles and ended his career on a 12-match win streak.

Now at Boar’s Head Resort, Gianni is offering private lessons to Sport’s Club members and hotel guests.

Ron Manilla

PTR International Master Professional - Tournament Director

Where are you from? Farrell, PA
Favorite memory from tennis? Meeting Arthur Ashe

As a teaching professional with more than 30 years of experience, Ron has made a tremendous impact on the tennis communities at The Sports Club at Boar’s Head Resort and in the Charlottesville area. Through tennis, Ron has touched the lives of many players around Charlottesville, including his own children. This led to numerous honors and accolades including the 2002 PTR Virginia Member of the Year and the USTA Virginia Family of the Year in 2008.

In February of 2010, Ron received the Professional Tennis Registry’s highest honor, Master Professional. He is one of only 31 in the world to receive this designation. Ron’s current priority is the direction of tennis tournaments at BHSC, including the Women’s Clay Court Classic, the Charlottesville Men’s Pro Challenger, Special Olympics “Xperience” and numerous USTA junior tournaments. Ron is a member of the Head/ Penn Advisory Staff and president of the Charlottesville Area Tennis Association.

Reagan Davis

Head Pickleball Professional

e: Rdavis@BoarsHeadResort.com

Where are you from? Naples, Italy
Favorite memory from pickleball? Winning my first gold medal

Reagan is an active pickleball player, participating in USA Pickleball sanctioned tournaments as well as recreational play within the city of Charlottesville.

Before moving to Charlottesville with his wife, Jessica and dog Lilly, Reagan served as director of player personnel for the James Madison University football team. For three seasons, including a national championship win, he worked as the assistant to the defensive and special teams coordinators. With experience in hospitality, planning and coaching, Reagan aims to provide a wonderful pickleball experience for members and resort guests. “By providing multiple avenues of play such as dinks and drinks, organized skill based sessions, round robins, clinics and tournaments, Boar’s Head pickleball caters to every player.”