Men's Tennis 9/9/2022 10:00:00 AM

Murphy Returns to OUAZ as New Tennis Coach

SURPRISE, Ariz. – OUAZ Director of Athletics Kevin Steele has named Samuel Murphy as the new head coach of the OUAZ men's & women's tennis programs. Murphy returns to OUAZ, where he played for the Spirit from 2018 through 2020. Murphy returns to OUAZ from Biola University, where he was the assistant coach for the past two seasons. Last season, the Eagle's men finished 18-9 and qualified for the NCAA II West Regionals, while the women finished 21-6.

"After an international search for our next tennis head coach, I am so pleased that the process has led us back to one of our own, Mr. Samuel Murphy," Steele stated. "For the past couple of years, Sam has been the lead assistant at Biola where the head coach David Goodman said that Sam was the best assistant he had ever worked, which is quite a statement."

Steele continued, "Sam was a team captain for the Spirit during his senior season, and OUAZ's past coach Brad Louderback gave him glowing reviews as a man and a leader. From the beginning of my conversations with Sam, it was apparent that he has a love for his alma mater and particularly the tennis program. What came across to me even stronger was his love for the Lord and his desire to be used by the Lord as a head tennis coach. We are blessed to have Sam as a part of our coaching family and can't wait to see the progress that he will make with our programs."

I'm so excited to get the opportunity to be a part of OUAZ once again and lead the tennis programs as head coach," Murphy said. "The men's and women's teams have had some very successful seasons in the past, and I hope to achieve that same success while I'm here. I have many great memories from attending OUAZ as a student, and to come back and now serve as the tennis coach is truly a blessing."

Murphy's previous coaching experience includes three years with the Alta Loma and Valley Vista (Ariz.) high school programs. He helped the Alta Loma girls tennis team win a league championship and advance to the CIF quarterfinal round in 2017, while the boys team advanced to the CIF semis the following semester.

As a player, Murphy helped his high school team reach the CIF Southern Section Division 5 semifinals and won a singles league MVP in 2016. He spent two years at Riverside City College and was part of teams that won 10 matches or more both years. Riverside City posted an incredible 19-3 record when Murphy was a sophomore, winning an OEC conference championship and advancing to the CCCAA SoCal Regional Semifinals before losing to Ventura College.

OUAZ also had a successful campaign during Murphy's first year in Surprise, giving him more first-hand experience of what it takes to be successful as a coach at OUAZ. While playing for the Spirit, the men's program advanced to the Golden State Athletic Conference championship match and the National Christian College Athletic Association championship match while beating multiple ranked teams at the NAIA level.

Murphy is a Southern California native who graduated from Alta Loma High School and holds a B.A. in Exercise Science from OUAZ along with an MBA from Biola.

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