Maryville College welcomes new tennis coach
Maryville College welcomed a new tennis coach this school year. Doug Corbett took the job last April, and his first full season kicked off in the fall. He seems to have a promising future here at Maryville College.
Corbett attended Randolph College for four years, where he participated in the men’s tennis program for four years and interned for the head coach. When asked about his experience playing at Randolph, Corbett described a “fantastic student-athlete experience.” He expressed that his coach had a great personal relationship with his players, which inspired him to create the same experience for other student-athletes.
After graduating, Corbett became an assistant coach at the University of Mary Washington, where he was awarded Southeastern Assistant Coach of the Year. When Corbett wanted to find a head coaching position close to his home in Virginia, he considered Maryville College as a possibility.
When asked what coaching at Maryville College means to him, Corbett said, “It means a whole lot to me! I love the environment that college tennis provides and very much enjoy working with our student-athletes. Maryville College has afforded me a great opportunity that I am thankful for.”
Corbett has big plans for the future of the Maryville College tennis team, noting that getting even better this season is their goal at practice every day. He believes there is ample room for the program to grow in the next few years, and this excites him.
Corbett’s short-term goal for this season is to create a close connection within the team, while his long-term goal is to build the team. Corbett wants to continue his line-up of great players by carefully recruiting for future seasons.
When asked about his coaching philosophy, Corbett said, “We are much more focused on the growth and quality of our players than the wins and losses. If we continue to learn and improve, then the wins will take care of themselves…My job as a coach is to help give them the best experience possible, while putting them in a position to grow and succeed on the court.”
Corbett gets high praise from the team. A junior on the men’s tennis team, Kyle Shaver, said, “He cares about the team deeply and has taken a rough role. His coaching style has allowed for improvement for all levels of the game, which greatly represents our team.”
A junior on the women’s team, Abby Smithers added, “Couch Doug is new to coaching, but definitely not to the game of tennis. He’s a young, enthusiastic coach who is determined to build our team up from almost nothing.”
Maryville College is pleased to award Corbett the position and is excited to see the progress that he’ll make in upcoming seasons.