The University of Hawaii at Hilo has named Karl Sloss as its men’s and women’s tennis coach.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo has named Karl Sloss as its men’s and women’s tennis coach.
Athletic director Dexter Irvin announced Sloss’ hiring on Friday ensuring the successful continuation of Vulcans tennis.
Sloss takes over the program from former coach Scott Hansen who unexpectedly resigned at the end of October after being hired for the position a couple of months earlier.
“This may be Sloss’ first head coaching job but he comes in with some unique insight into the program,” Irvin said in a press release.
“He completed his eligibility at Hawaii Pacific University where competed against the Vulcans and in the NCAA Division II championships, and earned NCAA scholar/athlete honors.”
“As far at the Division II is concerned, the PacWest is an extremely competitive conference in one of the toughest regions in the country,” Sloss said. “It’s going to be at least a year or two to build both teams in order to be competitive with the top teams in the country.”
Sloss returned to tennis this past year as a teaching professional at The Oahu Club and more recently with local tennis instructor/Vulcans alumnus Randy Kunimoto. He can also be seen on the Hilo Yacht Club and Hilo Intermediate School courts where he works with community players.
“It’s something to be maintained,” Sloss said. “We wouldn’t have a program this year if it wasn’t for the community.”
A nationally-ranked USTA junior player and 1998 Illinois IHSA State singles champion, Sloss’ collegiate career began at the University of Minnesota (1998-01) where he participated on two NCAA Division I Sweet-16 teams.
He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Hawaii Pacific in 2003 and a Bachelor of Science in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Hawaii in 2012.