Sarni Tennis Center

Penn State opened the Sarni Tennis Center in September 1998, and held its first night match against Bloomsburg in April 1999.

The Sarni Tennis Center is a $2.3 million facility that includes seven lighted courts, a stadium court with seating for 1,000 fans, a team clubhouse with locker rooms, meeting and video rooms and a racket stringing area.

The Sarni Tennis Center received the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Outstanding Tennis Facility Award in 1999.

WHAT DOES SARNI MEAN FOR PENN STATE TENNIS?

• It means hosting major collegiate championships. Penn State can now bid on such tournaments as the ECACs, Rolex, NCAA Regionals and so on. Penn State hosts the annual Penn State Fall Classic.
• It means night matches under the stadium lights. Penn State can now schedule evening matches, which are a big crowd favorite. The stadium lighting is state-of-the-art.
• It means great visibility on campus. Located in the central part of campus and adjacent to the Bigler Sports Fields, Sarni will be a highly visible facility for the entire Penn State community. This will encourage the Penn State faculty, staff and students as well as the Centre County community to catch the tennis fever by watching practices and attending matches.
• It means tradition. Through a combination of display cases, banners, etc., the Sarni Center will proudly recognize the achievements of past players, NCAA qualifiers, All-Big Ten picks, Academic All-Americans and so on.
• To the players, it means "excitement." Banners flying high above the stadium court, the beautiful Nittany Mountains and the Bryce Jordan Center as the backdrop and the majestic team clubhouse overlooking the courts...what more could a player ask for in a practice and competition site! Sarni represents a big-time facility in a superb location.

THE MAKING OF THE DREAM

Vincent and Sandra Sarni started the ball rolling with their gift of $675,000 to the construction of the $2.3 million facility. "The Sarni family demonstrated its extraordinary support of the University and the tennis program through this marvelous gift," said Penn State athletic director Tim Curley. "Their gift enabled us to take this project from concept to reality."

Vincent Sarni, a retired chairman and chief executive officer of PPG Industries, and his wife are tennis enthusiasts. Neither of the Sarnis is a Penn State graduate, although both have been supporters of academic and athletic programs at the University and both have had children attend Penn State.

In addition to the gift from the Sarni family approximately $500,000 in University funding went into the project, which will also provide for student use of the facility.