Somerville Purpura to coach Punahou girls

Betsy Somerville Purpura, who won three singles state champioships as a player, is the Buffanblu's new girls tennis coach. / Jamm Aquino / Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Betsy Somerville Purpura, who won three singles state champioships as a player, is the Buffanblu’s new girls tennis coach. / Jamm Aquino / Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Punahou is juggling its tennis coaching staff, according to Buffanblu athletic administrator Tom Holden.

Former Hawaii high school boys singles state champion Ikaika Jobe, a top open player in the state, is moving from coaching the Punahou girls to the Buffanblu boys. Bruce Asato / Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
Former Hawaii high school boys singles state champion Ikaika Jobe, a top open player in the state, is moving from coaching the Punahou girls to the Buffanblu boys. Bruce Asato / Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

Betsy Somerville Purpura is the new girls tennis coach, and coach Ikaika Jobe will move from the girls team to the boys team, Holden told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and Hawaii Prep World on Friday.

For Jobe, it will be a tough act to follow. He replaces Rusty Komori, who retired recently after winning the last 22 boys state championships (during the streak of 25 by the Buffanblu).


In four years as the Buffablu girls coach, Jobe has won the state title each time. He was a boys singles state champion for Punahou in 1999 and 2001 and a doubles champion with Kevin Ching in 2000.


Somerville won girls singles state championships in 1984 and 1985 with Punahou and in 1986 with La Pietra. She played collegiately at Arizona, where she earned All-America honors in 1988. She also competed on the women’s pro circuit with appearances in the four majors.

In addition, Somerville Purpura served as the womens head coach at Seton Hall and was an assistant at Hawaii.

COMMENTS

  1. […] home state. According to her LinkedIn profile, Purpura coached the varsity girl’s team at the Punahou School in Honolulu for three seasons beginning in 2015. She was also a tennis instructor at the Oahu Club from 2009 […]


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