A season removed from going 5-12 (0-11 Big 12), the ISU tennis team has taken early steps to help revitalize the program.

Hiring the first assistant coach in team history, the Cyclones plan to build on last year’s progress behind a strong group of returning players and new talent.

Recently hired assistant coach Armando Espinosa has worked as an assistant for a number of schools around the country prior to landing in Ames. Most recently serving as an assistant coach at Oregon, his resume also includes time at Marquette, Wichita State and Arizona State.

This will be the first time Espinosa has worked with a women’s team for any length of time, but coach Michele Conlon doesn’t doubt his ability to adjust to the women’s game.

“It brings another set of eyes to practice,” Conlon said. “Since he’s been involved in college athletics for such a long period of time, he can bring some of his other experiences from competing in the Pac-10 with the men and various other places.”

In addition to his coaching resume, Espinosa was also a two-time Division II All-American in his playing days at Drury University. Ranked as high as No. 2 in the country his senior year, Espinosa understands what is required to succeed in college tennis. This personal experience is a benefit to the players in his new role on the Cyclone team. Senior Caitlin Loprinzi refers to him as a “playing coach.”

“He’s out there hitting with us,” Loprinzi said. “It’s really fun, you know, you want to beat the coach, so it’s a little extra competition.”

Espinosa isn’t the only newcomer to this year’s team. The Cyclones welcome three new recruits that hope to fill the vacuum left by the graduation of three seniors, including No. 1 singles player Jill Palen.

“The freshmen, I felt, were outstanding at Drake [Invitational],” Conlon said. “They really showed a lot of composure, a lot of fight.”

Iowa State’s next stop on its fall tournament schedule will be the Missouri Invitational.