The Cal Poly women’s tennis program found its replacement for Hugh Bream Tuesday and announced former Washington associate head coach Damon Coupe as the program’s new head coach.
“I’m excited to welcome Damon Coupe to the Mustang family,” athletics director Don Oberhelman said in a release. “When determining what characteristics we needed in a new head coach, we had to look no further than our retiring head coach, Hugh Bream … Damon and Hugh share the same expectations of athletic and academic excellence and providing student-athletes with a first-class Division I experience. I have no doubt that the women’s tennis program will accomplish great things under Damon’s leadership.”
Coupe comes from a program rich in tradition. During his four-year stint with the Huskies, Coupe coached two All-Americans, earning both the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Assistant Coach of the Year and the Northwest Region Assistant Coach of the Year awards in 2009, after helping the Huskies reach the third round of the NCAA Championships.
Coupe arrived at Washington after serving as the associate head coach at California in 2006-2007. With Coupe, Cal reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championships, finished the as the No. 5 in the ITA spring rankings and produced three All-American singles selections and one All-American doubles selection.
Coupe succeeds Bream, who retired in June after going 133-89 in dual matches during his 11 years with the program. Under Bream, Cal Poly also clinched berths to the 2003 and 2011 NCAA Championships.
“I look forward to continuing the winning tradition that Hugh Bream has developed,” Coupe said in a release. “We have a tremendous group of women who have a strong will to compete, work hard and have fun together. This is an exciting time for Mustang tennis and I’m thrilled to be a part of the Mustang family.”