CIA Tennis Coaches

Serge Nalywayko—Head Coach

Serge Nalywayko, senior coordinator of athletics, aquatics, and outdoor recreation, has spent a great deal of his tenure at The Culinary Institute of America coaching various intercollegiate and recreational sport teams. Coach Nalywayko successfully started a paintball team (which has since been folded due to campus regulations), brought back our competitive soccer program in the early 2000s, coached our intercollegiate basketball program, and now leads our tennis program. Coach Nalywayko holds a Bachelor's Degree in Physical Education from Southeast Missouri State University. He played both soccer and basketball in high school, so coaching at the collegiate level has been a natural progression for him. Prior to coming to CIA, Coach Nalywayko was assistant men's soccer coach at Ulster County Community College.

Dennis Anderson—Assistant Coach

Dennis Anderson's tennis experience began in 1973, playing with one of his high school friends. At the time, Coach Anderson was greatly inspired to take up the sport by watching such notable pros such as Jimmy Connors and Chris Evert Lloyd. Self-taught, he kept improving his game and, in 1982, began playing competitive tennis in USTA leagues in Colorado, Ohio, Texas, and New York. Coach Anderson's highest USTA ranking has been 4.0 and he now currently plays in the 3.5 men's and mixed doubles tennis levels. In addition to his CIA Steels duties, Coach Anderson is part of the full-time staff at the CIA, serving as dining room supervisor.

Denise Mazzei—Assistant Coach

Denise Mazzei, a 1996 graduate of the CIA, joined the college’s faculty in 2005 and currently serves as assistant professor of business management. Coach Mazzei picked up a tennis racket for the first time in the spring of 2015—and hasn’t put it down since! She received world-class training through clinics and professional analysis at the acclaimed Harry Hopman Tennis Academy at Saddlebrook in Tampa, FL. In an ongoing effort to improve her game, Coach Mazzei is a regular and active participant in clinics at Dutchess Racket Club. She hopes to share her great enthusiasm for the game with CIA tennis team members, encouraging them to develop their own natural style while striving to improve agility, strength, and overall performance.