The Idaho women’s tennis team is starting its spring season without a coach. Former Idaho women’s tennis coach Myriam Sopel accepted the head coaching position at UTEP Wednesday after one year at the helm at Idaho.
“I am very excited to be a part of the Miner family,” Sopel said. “UTEP is a prestigious institution with an incredible support system. It is a wonderful opportunity for me to fully demonstrate my skills and acquire more experience for my career as a Division I head coach.”
Idaho Director of Tennis Jeff Beaman will coach both the men’s and women’s teams while the Vandals search for a replacement.
Sopel joined Idaho during the 2013 spring season and led the Vandals to a 14-12 record and WAC semifinals appearance. Victoria Lozano and Almudena Sanz finished with a 14-5 record and 7-0 WAC record in 2013 to earn All-WAC doubles honors under Sopel’s coaching.
“I am grateful for the experiences I have had thus far,” Sopel said. “I would like to thank all my former colleagues and the faculty at Idaho, who have shown me great support. I would especially like to thank Jeff Beaman, who has been my supervisor and mentor. I would not be the coach I am today without him.”
Sopel’s departure occurs right before the Vandals start their 2014 spring season. Idaho opens its season Friday against Washington State and plays Saturday against Montana State in Pullman.
Beaman said Sopel’s departure will be challenging for the team to start the season, but they have to go out and try not to make excuses or let it be a distraction in their play.
“They got to say ‘hey, we have a really talented team and these are matches we can win,'” he said. “Whether they’re playing well or they’re struggling, (they need to) go out, compete hard, take matches and focus on the present, not dwell on things that are basically out of their control.”
Beaman said the team is excited to start against WSU, who has been a nationally ranked team the last couple of years, and Montana State who will be a Big Sky rival starting next season.
“We definitely are very familiar with both of those teams, especially Washington State since we actually practice over there at times,” he said. “So it’s something that’s going to be a true test.”
Idaho’s top returners heading into the season are its No. 1 doubles team of Lozano and Sanz — who rank No. 8 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Division I Mountain Region Rankings. Lozano also ranks No. 17 in the region as an individual.
Stephan Wiebe can be reached at [email protected]