Maria Lopez - Women's Tennis Coach - Boise State University Athletics

Maria Lopez

Title:
Associate Head Coach, Women's Tennis
Email:
MariaLopez134@BoiseState.edu
Phone:
208-912-5993

BOISE STATE TENURE

Maria Lopez enters her fourth season as a member of the Boise State family. Lopez initially joined the women’s tennis program in July of 2018 as an assistant coach. In July of 2020, she was promoted to associate head coach. Since her arrival, Lopez has been involved in all aspects of running the program from coaching and mentoring student-athletes, to recruiting, scheduling, organizing and ordering equipment.

The Broncos have shown steady improvement since Lopez arrived on campus. After going 7-12 during her first year in 2019, the team was has recorded back-to-back winning seasons going 9-3 in 2020, before the season ended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, and 12-6 in 2021.

Some of the accomplishments student-athletes have made under Lopez’s coaching and mentoring include: 12 All-Mountain West honors, 21 Academic All-MW and 22 MW Scholar-Athlete (3.5 or better cumulative GPA) awards, as well as 14 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete accolades.

PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE

Lopez joined the Bronco family in July of 2018. The native of Venezuela came to Boise from Longwood University where she was the head coach of the women's team from July 2016 to July 2018. Prior to Longwood, she was a two-time ITA Assistant Coach of the Year honoree at her alma mater Barry University (Fla.). Overall, she had over twelve years of coaching experience both as a head coach and an assistant coach before joining the Boise State staff.

During her time at Longwood, the Lancers collected Big South Conference tournament wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. Lopez's tournament wins also made her the winningest coach in Longwood's Big South history. She also had two All-Big South selections in her two seasons in Anna Pelak and Marija Venta, while Yulia Almiron became the first Big South Freshman of the Week since spring of 2016.

Her second season as the head of the Lancer program in 2017-18 saw a jump to a 9-11 record despite having one of the youngest rosters in Division I women's tennis (five freshmen and two sophomores). Three Lancers collected 10-plus singles wins as the squad gathered their second Big South Conference tournament win in as many seasons.

In her first season at the helm, the Lancers finished 7-15 and made their first trip to the Big South Championships quarterfinals since their inaugural season in the conference in 2013. Four of those seven wins the Lancers picked up under Lopez were shutouts, including three 7-0 decisions over Coppin State, St. Mary's College of Maryland and Maryland-Eastern Shore to go along with a 4-0 win against North Carolina Central.

Lopez came to Longwood after a remarkable stint as the top women's tennis assistant coach at Barry where she helped the program win NCAA Division II National Championships in 2011 and 2014; in addition to six-consecutive Sunshine State Conference Championships from 2011-16.

In the six seasons Lopez was on Barry's coaching staff from 2011-16, the Bucs amassed a 150-10 record and advanced to the NCAA Championship match three times, winning the title in 2011 and 2014 and finishing as the national runner-up in 2015. Barry qualified for the NCAA postseason every year, including back-to-back undefeated regular seasons in 2012 and 2013 when Lopez earned ITA National and South Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors.

PERSONAL

Lopez received her Bachelor of Science degree in e-commerce from Barry in 2004 and earned her Master of Science degree in sport management from Barry in 2009. She also has experience in other realms of higher education serving as an adjunct professor at Barry and as a graduate assistant in the university's dean of students office.

Lopez's coaching success at her alma mater was an extension of her national success as a player following a four-year collegiate career in which she was twice named an All-American. Also a four-year all-conference selection, Lopez recorded 57 career singles wins, a .655 singles winning percentage and 73 doubles wins, ranking among Barry's top-10 (at graduation) all-time in both singles and doubles victories.

Lopez was also a decorated prep standout, earning the No. 1 national ranking in Venezuela in 1993, 1995 and 1997 while playing for the Venezuelan National Team from 1993-99.