The MSU mens tennis team holds the No. 24 spot in the national rankings, while the women’s team has made history by earning the number one ranking for the first time, now having been bumped down to No.3. Former head coach Scott Linn said the team’s success is due to a strong organization and internal motivation.
“I think they lean on each other quite a bit. You try to keep a system in place that keeps them organized. This is what we’re doing for breakfast. This is what we’re doing before a match. This is what we’re doing with strength training, there’s always a plan,” Linn said. “They work internally to set goals for their team. On every locker there’s a goal sheet that each one of them has their three goals, and the three ways to accomplish that goal for the entire year. So they’re always working at those objectives to reach that goal, they also have a team goal, what we want to do as a team and how we’re going to reach it.”
MSU mens tennis player and finance junior Philip Kamara said he is motivated by the love of the sport and his determination to be the best in the nation.
“We’re all willing to go to work and we’re willing to show up day in, day out, stack days as a program, and just believe in each other. We all believe in our strengths, believe that we have what it takes to get there, and just that this team’s belief is what makes us stronger, day by day,” Kamara said.
The teams work on their own for a lot of their training. Linn said they are doing way more than what is required to become successful.
“There is a lot of ownership, like we may go through a practice, we may go through a strength training session, we may have matches, but they do a lot of work on their own. It is just like in a class, if you’re trying to get an A in the class, and it’s a really hard class, you’re not doing what’s in the classroom. you’re doing way more than that,” Linn said.
This season is the first time in team history that the womens tennis team has been number one in the nation. Linn said it was not surprising for the team to be ranked number one.
“I think if you put the right system in place, and they’re committed to it, and you have the right vision, anything’s possible. So for us to get to number one is not surprising. For me, it was a plan 15 years ago, it just took a while,” Linn said. “I’m not surprised, and I won’t be surprised when the men’s team gets to number one either because they have the people in place and the system in place to do it, and I’m excited about the future of both programs.”
MSU womens tennis player and geoscience senior Hannah Yip said holding the top spot had its challenges.
“It is a good thing, but it can also be a bad thing because as much as we have worked so hard to be number one, at the same time there are so many teams that are aiming at us, but that’s just the outcome of the effort that we’ve put into the season so far. Even though we are number one in the nation, we’re only halfway there, the team still needs to be in the right mindset and still head in the direction that we are in,” Yip said.
The teams aim to win both the conference and national titles, compete without regrets, and improve every day.
“I’m a big believer that if you’re doing the right work and you put your ownership into something, that when you’re competing in a competitive situation, you’ll find a way to win, because it’ll start meaning more to you. And I think that’s what’s going on now.” Linn said. “They are just committed. I could not, as a coach, ask for a better group of young people.”
On March 9 Scott Linn resigned as head coach for the tennis teams, taking a job at his alma mater East Central University, in Ada, Oklahoma.
