Staff Directory
- Title:
- Volunteer Assistant
Following a successful 11-seasonstint as Cal Poly’s head coach, Hugh Bream is in his firstyear as a volunteer assistant with the Mustang women’s tennisprogram. During his tenure directing the Mustangs (2001-11), Breamled Cal Poly to the 2003 and 2011 NCAA Championships, helpedproduce two doubles teams that qualified for the NCAA IndividualChampionships and finished with a 133-89 record in dualmatches.
“Hugh has such a tremendouslegacy at Cal Poly,” first-year head coach Damon Coupe said.“Even though he retired as head coach, he definitely wantedto stay on as part of the program. I’m thrilled to have himas our volunteer coach. He know the players so well and with him,we have a very strong coaching staff.”
Bream’s final 2011 springcampaign with Cal Poly produced, arguably, the program’sfinest season to date at the Division I level. Powered by aprogram-record nine-match winning streak between Feb. 20 and April2, Cal Poly reached as high as No. 36 in the Campbell’sIntercollegiate Tennis Association Rankings (marking theninth-successive year the Mustangs had earned a national ranking).En route to earning a spot in the NCAA Championships, seven of CalPoly’s 16 victories came against ranked opposition. Cal Polyalso set a program record with seven Big West victories to claimthe program’s first share of the conference regular seasontitle.
In rising as high as No. 52 in theITA rankings, the 2010 Mustangs posted a 16-7 dual record and theprogram’s 6-2 finish in Big West play produced a second-placeshowing in the conference standings. Individually, the doublestandem of Brittany Blalock and current Mustang assistant coachSuzie Matzenauer teamed to post a 17-3 mark and earn a spot in theNCAA Individual Championships. Blalock, the only four-time All-BigWest singles first team selection in program history, also teamedwith Steffi Wong in 2008 to reach the NCAA IndividualChampionships.
Bream’s 2003 Mustang squadestablished a new level of excellence for the program. Cal Poly wona program-record 20 dual matches, earned its first national rankingand, as the top-seeded team at the Big West Championships, defeatedLong Beach State to earn the program’s first NCAAChampionships berth. Bream earned Big West Coach of the Year praisefor his efforts.
Under Bream’s tutelage, CalPoly players earned 52 All-Big West honors, including 11 first teamsingles awards and 15 first team doubles recognitions. DuringBream’s final six seasons with the Mustang women’steam, Cal Poly finished in the bottom half of the Big Weststandings just once.
Previously, Bream – who ownsa 377-182 record at the collegiate level – coached the CalPoly men’s team (1980-88), where he directed the program tothe 1986 NCAA Division II national championship, and San DiegoState (1988-93), which posted four-successive top-25 rankings underhis watch.
A former coach on both the ATP andWTA circuits, Bream has worked with, among other professionals,Jared Palmer and Ginger Helgeson. Palmer reached the world No. 1men’s doubles rank in 2000 and Helgeson progressed to a highof No. 28 in women’s singles play.
Between 1986-88, Bream alsodirected the United States U-16 Boys National Team, a side thatincluded Palmer and future standouts Michael Chang and JimCourier.
Bream earned his undergraduatedegree from Cal Poly in 1980 before completing a master’s inphysical education in 1982. Prior to transferring to Cal Poly forthe 1977-78 season, Bream played No. 1 singles and doubles at PimaCommunity College (Tucson, Ariz.), helping the program reach a highof No. 7 in the NJCAA ITA rankings.
Still a competitive player, Breamhas ascended as high as No. 5 in southern California and No. 35nationally in men’s 40-plus competitions.
A certified member of the UnitedStates Tennis Association’s High Performance Coaching Staff,Bream continues to develop top junior talent. Recentprotégées include North Carolina senior and 2007 ITASouth Rookie of the Year Stefan Hardy and Cal Poly sophomore and2009 Big West Freshman of the Year Andre Dome.
