Breault becomes the first women’s tennis coach in the history of the Big Sky to be named a regional coach of the year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. Photo courtesy of Sacramento State Athletics

SACRAMENTO, CA (MPG) - The postseason honors continue to roll in for the Sacramento State women’s tennis program as fifth-year head coach Sophie Breault was named the Northwest Region Coach of the Year by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on June 9.

Having already picked up the Big Sky Conference’s top coaching honor for the first time in her career after leading the Hornets to two league regular season titles in three seasons and three-straight conference tournament crowns, Breault becomes the first women’s tennis coach in the history of the Big Sky to be named a regional coach of the year by the ITA.

Sacramento State finished the 2025-26 season with a 19-6 overall record and a 7-1 mark in Big Sky play, defeating Idaho and Northern Arizona en route to the league tournament crown and a third consecutive NCAA Tournament berth against No. 13-ranked USC. Four Hornet players were named to the All-Big Sky honor roll in singles while three doubles teams picked up all-league honors.

Recently, redshirt junior Lou Baudouin was ranked No. 20 in the region in singles by the ITA while the doubles teams of Cami Maldonado Gutierrez and Reese Walker, along with the tandem of Baudouin and Emilija Pranyte, were ranked No. 6 and No. 10, respectively, in the region by the ITA. 

It marked the first time that a Hornet singles player finished ranked among the region’s best since Tatsiana Kapshai finished the year No. 18 in 2012. The two doubles teams gave Sacramento State its first ranked doubles team since Breault teamed with Rebecca Delgado and finished No. 8 in the region in 2013, while the No. 6 ranking by Maldonado Gutierrez and Walker is the highest since Kapshai and Delgado were No. 6 in 2012.

As a team, Sacramento State finished No. 6 in the region behind California, Washington, Stanford, Oregon and Washington State — the third straight year that the Hornets have finished in the region’s top 10 after standing No. 10 in 2024 and No. 5 in 2025. 

Since taking over the program at her alma mater in 2022, Breault has posted a 76-48 (.613) overall record and a 27-13 (.675) mark in Big Sky play over the last five seasons, mentoring her squad to a total of 28 all-conference honors, 20 Big Sky Player of the Week laurels, three Big Sky Tournament MVP awards, and a Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year.

Off the court, Sacramento State has been named an ITA All-Academic Team award-winner every year with Breault at the helm while student-athletes have been individually honored 26 times. Her student-athletes have also been named to the Big Sky All-Academic honor roll 27 times. The 2025-26 awards for both the ITA and Big Sky academic honor roll will be announced later this summer.

Breault and the Hornets usher in a new era beginning with the 2026-27 school year as Sacramento State becomes a full-time member of the Big West Conference.