Former Idaho women’s tennis coach Myriam Sopel — now the head coach of UTEP — will go into Friday’s match with her new team against the Vandals with several advantages. She not only has home court advantage, but also the benefit of having coached every player on the court. 
Sopel, the former Indiana Hoosier standout, was Idaho’s head coach last spring and during the fall season. She resigned to accept the vacant UTEP head-coaching job on Jan. 15.
“As a coach, I have the advantage of knowing both teams in depth,” Sopel said. “I know all the players, but it’s going to be a really tough match regardless.”
“As for the girls here, that’s something that can be a little bit of a shock,” Idaho coach Jeff Beaman said. “But they came together and I’ve had some great help with other people who’ve stepped up with the situation.”
Senior Victoria Lozano, who’s had three different head coaches as a Vandal, said Sopel’s time in Idaho was a positive experience.
“Overall, she was a good coach, I think,” Lozano said. “She was able to accomplish everything she and Jeff were working on.”
Beaman, who is the men’s head coach and the director of tennis, filled Sopel’s position along with associate coaches Art Hoomiratana and graduate assistant Abid Akbar.
“I wouldn’t call it a rivalry,” Beaman said. “There certainly is a lot more emotion involved in the match than in your standard match.”
Friday’s match in El Paso, Texas, is the first of a tripleheader. The Vandals will travel to Las Cruces, N.M., to take on Arkansas State and New Mexico State on Saturday and Sunday.
Beaman told his players not to focus their emotions and attention on anything they can’t control.
“Maybe they hold a grudge that she left,” Beaman said. “When you focus any attention or allow distractions, that is generally going to negatively affect your performance in competition. A good player only focuses on what is essential to focus on.”
Though Sopel agrees with Beaman that no rivalry is present, she acknowledges this won’t be a typical match.
“I don’t think it will create any hostility or any rivalry of any sort,” Sopel said. “It’s definitely going to be a different dynamic, because of the past experiences I have with Idaho. It’s going to be an interesting match.”
Lozano said neither team will have the upper hand, despite each team having a slight advantage. The Idaho players know Sopel’s coaching style while Sopel is keen to Idaho’s tendencies.
“I don’t think it’s an advantage for her or for us,” Lozano said. “Myriam can coach the other team but I can have a strategy too. I think my game can be changed and I can adapt to different styles of playing with different opponents.”
Beaman said the match against UTEP (11-11) comes down to how adequately the coaches prepare their players.
“I’d say the advantage in terms of the year we’re having, we’re the stronger team on paper now,” Beaman said. “But we’re playing in more difficult conditions. Her focusing her girls and me getting our girls to go out and do the right thing and be prepared will be more of the coaching factor of it.”
The final conference match is Sunday when the Vandals take on the New Mexico State Aggies.
“It’s critical, extremely critical in terms of seeing how the lineup goes,” Beaman said. “They’re a team that’s struggled at times but on talent, they’re right up there with us.”
“To have the opportunity to play on those courts that we’ll hopefully be playing the championship on, that’s the reason why we scheduled it,” Beaman said. “It’s a critical match for preparation and for confidence if we can win it and adjustments if we lose it.”
Conor Gleason can be reached at [email protected]