Iowa State tennis has found a new leader.

The Cyclones announced Thursday that Texas Tech assistant Boomer Saia had accepted the head coaching position. 

“I am beyond excited to be a Cyclone,” Saia said. “I can’t wait to get started – we can make something special here at Iowa State.”

Saia spent one year as an assistant coach at Texas Tech, helping the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight. Saia also helped the Red Raiders sign the second-best class in the country for 2018.

The job had become available following the decision to not renew former head coach Armando Espinosa’s contract. Espinosa was mentioned in a Title IX complaint filed against the university by tennis player Erin Freeman. 

“He is a rising star in the industry and has an infectious enthusiasm for all that is possible with the Iowa State program,” Senior Associate Athletics Director Calli Sanders said of Saia in a statement. 

Saia had stints with Vanderbilt and Oklahoma prior to his one year at Texas Tech, and after graduating from Kansas in 2011 he was a volunteer assistant for the Jayhawks.