Santa Barbara’s Blake Muller is the new men’s tennis coach at UCSB.
Muller was promoted to the head position after serving as an assistant for Marty Davis for the last seven seasons. Davis retired earlier this year after 22 seasons at the helm of the Gaucho tennis program.
During Muller’s time as an assistant and associate head coach with Davis, UCSB won six Big West Championships and played in six NCAA Tournaments. Davis won 13 titles in his 22 years.
“Blake has been an integral part of our men’s tennis program’s success during his tenure,” said Director of Athletics John McCutcheon, who conducted a national search before naming Muller as the head coach. “With his appointment and the Arnhold Tennis Center about to open, the future of men’s tennis could not be brighter at UCSB.”
The Arnhold Tennis Center is a $5.25 million on-campus facility that will include six new courts, two refurbished courts, seating for about 300 and a 1,860 square-foot team building that will have locker rooms, storage and a team lounge.
“It is a privilege to be leading this program that has such a rich history of success in my hometown,” said Muller, who attended Santa Barbara High. “I look forward to continuing to build what Marty and I started when he brought me on seven years ago. In addition, I want to thank Marty for his leadership of the program over the past 22 years. He no doubt left his mark and I wish him all the best in retirement.”
Muller graduated from Stanford in 2009 with degrees in communications and political science. He was a two-time ITA Scholar Athlete, a two-time Academic All-American and a two-time Pac-10 All-Academic selection.
He played four years for the Stanford men’s tennis team, recording 67 victories in singles and 77 in doubles.
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.