Longwood University Athletics

Two-time Intercollegiate Tennis Association Assistant Coach of the Year Maria Lopez was named head coach of the Longwood women’s tennis program in July, 2016.
 
Lopez came to Longwood after a remarkable stint as the top women's tennis assistant coach at Barry where she helped the program win NCAA Division II National Championships in 2011 and 2014 and six consecutive Sunshine State Conference Championships from 2011-16.

During her time at Longwood, the Lancers have collected Big South Conference tournament wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history. Lopez's tournament wins also make her the winningest coach in Longwood's Big South history after the 2017-18 squad erased a 3-0 hole to stun Gardner-Webb 4-3 just 48 hours after the men's squad collected a 3-1 comeback win over Liberty. She has also had two All-Big South selections in her two seasons in Anna Pelak and Marija Venta, while Yulia Almiron became the first Big South Freshman of the Week since spring of 2016.

Her second season as the head of the Lancer program saw a jump to a 9-11 record despite having one of the youngest rosters in Division I women's tennis (five freshmen and two sophomores). Three Lancers collected 10-plus singles wins as the squad gathered their second Big South Conference tournament win in as many seasons. Sophomore co-captains Jamie Breunig and Marija Venta collected the team's final two points to propel them to the next round, giving Lopez the program record for Longwood Big South tournament wins.

In her first season at the helm, the Lancers finished 7-15 and made their first trip to the Big South Championships quarterfinals since their inaugural season in the conference in 2013. Before falling in the quarterfinals, the Lancers won three of their last four regular season matches including a 4-3 comeback led by the three seniors Paloma Alatorre, Anna Pelak and Mason Thomas.

Four of those seven wins the Lancers picked up under Lopez were shutouts, including three 7-0 decisions over Coppin State, St. Mary's College of Maryland and Maryland-Eastern Shore to go along with a 4-0 win against N.C Central.

In the six seasons Lopez was on Barry’s coaching staff from 2011-16, the Bucs amassed a 150-10 record and advanced to the NCAA Championship match three times, winning the title in 2011 and 2014 and finishing as the national runner-up in 2015. Barry qualified for the NCAA postseason every year, including after back-to-back undefeated regular seasons in 2012 and 2013 when Lopez earned ITA National and South Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors.

Lopez’s coaching success at her alma mater was an extension of her national success as a player following a four-year collegiate career in which she was twice named an All-American. Also a four-year all-conference selection, Lopez recorded 57 career singles wins, a .655 singles winning percentage and 73 doubles wins, ranking among Barry’s top 10 all-time in both singles and doubles victories.
 
Lopez was also a decorated prep standout, earning the No. 1 national ranking in Venezuela in 1993, 1995 and 1997 while playing for the Venezuelan National Team from 1993-99.
 
A four-year member of Barry’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), Lopez also has experience in other realms of higher education, serving as an adjunct professor at Barry and as a graduate assistant in the university’s dean of students office. She received her bachelor of science degree in e-commerce from Barry in 2004 and earned her master of science degree in sport management from Barry in 2009.