July 16, 2007
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Santa Clara University announced today that interim women's tennis head coach Ben Cabell has been named the permanent head coach for Bronco women's tennis. Cabell led the Broncos to a successful season despite a number of injuries to key players in 2006-07. Cabell previously served as the assistant coach from 2004-2006. Tricia Guidace will return for her sixth season to serve as Cabell's assistant coach.
"Ben did a phenomenal job last year with the women's tennis program on an interim basis," said Santa Clara Director of Athletics and Recreation Dan Coonan. "He is highly respected by his fellow coaches and an excellent fit for our department. The players made great strides individually and as a team under his guidance last year and we believe he will continue to make this program stronger."
"I am very excited to be named the head coach at Santa Clara," said Cabell. "SCU is a great fit for me and I think that we have everything in place to build a great program. There is no limit as to how far this program can go so I am looking forward to continuing my work here."
In his only season as interim head coach, Cabell led the Broncos to an 8-12 mark in the dual season, including wins over San Francisco, San Jose State and previously unbeaten Fresno Pacific. The Broncos peaked at the end of the year with an excellent performance at the West Coast Conference Championships. After losing in the first round, SCU defeated Portland to move into the fifth-place match against USF. The Broncos ended up splitting fifth with the Dons after rains cancelled the match with SCU leading in the day's final match.
Cabell's vast knowledge and solid coaching style helped a number of players have standout campaigns in 2007. Under his tutelage, seniors Erika Barnes and Casey Knutson were named All-WCC Second Team in doubles, as they put together one of the top doubles seasons in school history. The pair tied the school record for wins with 16, while also pulling out a number of memorable victories. Barnes and Knutson defeated the nation's No. 39 team of Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhova of Fresno State 9-7 in one of the program's biggest wins ever. Knutson and fellow senior Kim Daniel both earned All-WCC honors and finished in the top 10 all-time in singles wins at SCU.
Prior to taking over as interim head coach last year, Cabell spent the two seasons as an assistant under Damon Coupe. He was involved in training on the court, while also serving as the strength and conditioning coach. He has also worked as an assistant pro at the Los Altos Golf & Tennis Club.
As a player, Cabell began his collegiate career at Foothill College before transferring to San Diego State University. He also spent time at Santa Clara as a member of the men's tennis team. He still competes in a number of local tournaments and played competitively in challenger matches and tournament qualifiers for professional tournaments following his collegiate career.
