University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vol All-Americans Reunite as Coaches on Rocky Top
October 29, 2017 | Women's Tennis
By Rhiannon Potkey, special to UTsports.com
Alison Ojeda's first big recruiting breakthrough at Tennessee came when she was still a player.
During Ojeda's senior season, she hosted Melissa Schaub on an official visit to Knoxville.
Ojeda knew how important it was to get Schaub to join the program. What Ojeda never imagined is how that weekend 15 years ago would impact her life.
Not only did UT secure a commitment from an All-American, Ojeda gained a best friend and confidant.
Ojeda and Schaub have traveled the college tennis coaching journey together. They have discussed strategy and shared laughs in a cramped office. They have reveled in the highs of big wins and commiserated in the lows of bad losses.
From Knoxville to Murfreesboro and every other stop along the way, they supported each other and developed a similar vision of how to run a program.
Both now have their "dream jobs" with Ojeda taking over as the head coach at Tennessee last season and Schaub, an Ohio native, leading Ohio State since 2012.
They have reunited this weekend with Ohio State participating in the Tennessee Fall Invite at the Goodfriend Tennis Center.
Making the reunion even more special is having Schaub's younger brother, Ty, on the courts alongside them. Ty, an Ohio State graduate, is Ojeda's assistant coach at UT.
"It's like a big family affair out here having us all together," Ojeda said. "It's really special to see how far we've all come and how close we have remained. Melissa is literally my best friend."
Schaub played at UT from 2003-06, ranking as high as No. 2 nationally in doubles and helping the Vols reach No. 4 in the nation as a team.
She received the athletic department's "No Guts, No Glory" award as a senior, and has flashbacks whenever she returns to campus.
"I just remember fighting every day here because the SEC is such an incredible conference," said Schaub, who graduated with a degree in psychology. "That is the time you are developing that team atmosphere and going from tennis being an individual sport to a team sport and being around your teammates. I think a lot of what I learned here as a player has helped me transition to the kind of coach I want to be."
As a highly-ranked junior player, Schaub had plenty of college choices. Although many factors went into her decision, Ojeda helped convince Schaub UT was the right fit.
"She was very similar as a player and a host as she is as a coach. She was very high energy and did a great job selling the program," Schaub said. "I think that was a big part of it, seeing the way all the girls got along as a team and running around campus. It was a definitely a huge draw and I wanted to come be a part of this."
Schaub made an immediate impression on Ojeda, who was blown away by the high school senior's maturity.
"She was one of the most unbelievable people you will ever meet and she was a heck of a tennis player, so I knew I needed to do whatever I could to get her here," Ojeda said. "The only bad part was I really wanted to be a teammate of hers once I met her. I hated that I wasn't going to be around for that."
During Schaub's freshman year, Ojeda left to take a job as an assistant coach at Texas A&M. But Ojeda soon realized she still wanted to compete and didn't want her playing career to end with regrets.
She called then-UT coach Mike Patrick and asked if she could return to Knoxville to train.
"He said I could stay with Melissa Schaub for free and train for free. He wanted me to 100 percent buy into being a pro and not going out partying or doing crazy things," Ojeda said. "He put me with Melissa because she literally followed every rule. If there was a way to get better, she was doing it and he wanted me around that."
The relationship between Ojeda and Schaub blossomed as roommates.
After Ojeda became the head coach at Middle Tennessee State in 2005, she asked Schaub to be her assistant once Schaub graduated from UT the following year.
"It didn't pay much, but I told her at least we could try to figure this out together," Ojeda said. "We literally grinded through things to see what works and what doesn't work. We figured out the most important thing is recruiting. Whatever we thought we knew or didn't know didn't matter if we didn't have players that could do the stuff."
When Ojeda left to become an assistant at Baylor in 2010, Schaub was elevated to head coach at MTSU.
"She called me a year later and said she had the opportunity to go to Ohio State as assistant and what did I think she should do. I told her 100 percent do it. I wouldn't think twice," Ojeda said. "That was her dream job, and she just needed to figure out a way to make it work. I told her they will find a way to keep you there because you are too good to let go."
Ojeda followed her own advice by returning to UT in the summer of 2016, and the best friends watched their dream become a reality. They were both leading major programs in places they cherished.
Although UT and Ohio State play during the fall, they haven't scheduled a spring dual match when rankings and postseason bids are impacted.
"Our friendship means so much to us that we don't want to take a chance to ruin it. I want to win and she wants to win, and I've just seen too many great friends have their relationship change because of a match during the season," Ojeda said. "If it happens in the NCAA tournament, then heck yeah we will go out there and give it everything we have and our relationship will be completely fine. But there's no need to get into that battle outside of that."
Schaub would be doubly conflicted, given her little brother is wearing orange. Ty was a team captain during his senior year at Ohio State in 2009 when the Buckeyes were ranked No.1 and reached the NCAA final.
The siblings had a taste of what to expect when they coached a doubles match last month during a tournament at Furman.
"The girls from both of our teams made some comments about it, but we don't think about it much to be honest," said Melissa Schaub, whose father is a longtime tennis coach. "We knew it was going to happen at some point. We just really try to keep it about the girls and them competing."
All these years later, Ojeda has returned to the hosting role again while Schaub is in Knoxville. They went to Fieldhouse Social on Thursday night for dinner and watched college football together on Saturday once their matches ended.
No matter how many miles separate them, Ojeda and Schaub remain bonded by a friendship that began at UT.
"We talk daily and bounce coaching ideas off each other. That will never change," Schaub said. "She's done an amazing job with this program and I always love coming here to play."
Alison Ojeda's first big recruiting breakthrough at Tennessee came when she was still a player.
During Ojeda's senior season, she hosted Melissa Schaub on an official visit to Knoxville.
Ojeda knew how important it was to get Schaub to join the program. What Ojeda never imagined is how that weekend 15 years ago would impact her life.
Not only did UT secure a commitment from an All-American, Ojeda gained a best friend and confidant.
Ojeda and Schaub have traveled the college tennis coaching journey together. They have discussed strategy and shared laughs in a cramped office. They have reveled in the highs of big wins and commiserated in the lows of bad losses.
From Knoxville to Murfreesboro and every other stop along the way, they supported each other and developed a similar vision of how to run a program.
Both now have their "dream jobs" with Ojeda taking over as the head coach at Tennessee last season and Schaub, an Ohio native, leading Ohio State since 2012.
They have reunited this weekend with Ohio State participating in the Tennessee Fall Invite at the Goodfriend Tennis Center.
Making the reunion even more special is having Schaub's younger brother, Ty, on the courts alongside them. Ty, an Ohio State graduate, is Ojeda's assistant coach at UT.
"It's like a big family affair out here having us all together," Ojeda said. "It's really special to see how far we've all come and how close we have remained. Melissa is literally my best friend."
Schaub played at UT from 2003-06, ranking as high as No. 2 nationally in doubles and helping the Vols reach No. 4 in the nation as a team.
She received the athletic department's "No Guts, No Glory" award as a senior, and has flashbacks whenever she returns to campus.
"I just remember fighting every day here because the SEC is such an incredible conference," said Schaub, who graduated with a degree in psychology. "That is the time you are developing that team atmosphere and going from tennis being an individual sport to a team sport and being around your teammates. I think a lot of what I learned here as a player has helped me transition to the kind of coach I want to be."
As a highly-ranked junior player, Schaub had plenty of college choices. Although many factors went into her decision, Ojeda helped convince Schaub UT was the right fit.
"She was very similar as a player and a host as she is as a coach. She was very high energy and did a great job selling the program," Schaub said. "I think that was a big part of it, seeing the way all the girls got along as a team and running around campus. It was a definitely a huge draw and I wanted to come be a part of this."
Schaub made an immediate impression on Ojeda, who was blown away by the high school senior's maturity.
"She was one of the most unbelievable people you will ever meet and she was a heck of a tennis player, so I knew I needed to do whatever I could to get her here," Ojeda said. "The only bad part was I really wanted to be a teammate of hers once I met her. I hated that I wasn't going to be around for that."
During Schaub's freshman year, Ojeda left to take a job as an assistant coach at Texas A&M. But Ojeda soon realized she still wanted to compete and didn't want her playing career to end with regrets.
She called then-UT coach Mike Patrick and asked if she could return to Knoxville to train.
"He said I could stay with Melissa Schaub for free and train for free. He wanted me to 100 percent buy into being a pro and not going out partying or doing crazy things," Ojeda said. "He put me with Melissa because she literally followed every rule. If there was a way to get better, she was doing it and he wanted me around that."
The relationship between Ojeda and Schaub blossomed as roommates.
After Ojeda became the head coach at Middle Tennessee State in 2005, she asked Schaub to be her assistant once Schaub graduated from UT the following year.
"It didn't pay much, but I told her at least we could try to figure this out together," Ojeda said. "We literally grinded through things to see what works and what doesn't work. We figured out the most important thing is recruiting. Whatever we thought we knew or didn't know didn't matter if we didn't have players that could do the stuff."
When Ojeda left to become an assistant at Baylor in 2010, Schaub was elevated to head coach at MTSU.
"She called me a year later and said she had the opportunity to go to Ohio State as assistant and what did I think she should do. I told her 100 percent do it. I wouldn't think twice," Ojeda said. "That was her dream job, and she just needed to figure out a way to make it work. I told her they will find a way to keep you there because you are too good to let go."
Ojeda followed her own advice by returning to UT in the summer of 2016, and the best friends watched their dream become a reality. They were both leading major programs in places they cherished.
Although UT and Ohio State play during the fall, they haven't scheduled a spring dual match when rankings and postseason bids are impacted.
"Our friendship means so much to us that we don't want to take a chance to ruin it. I want to win and she wants to win, and I've just seen too many great friends have their relationship change because of a match during the season," Ojeda said. "If it happens in the NCAA tournament, then heck yeah we will go out there and give it everything we have and our relationship will be completely fine. But there's no need to get into that battle outside of that."
Schaub would be doubly conflicted, given her little brother is wearing orange. Ty was a team captain during his senior year at Ohio State in 2009 when the Buckeyes were ranked No.1 and reached the NCAA final.
The siblings had a taste of what to expect when they coached a doubles match last month during a tournament at Furman.
"The girls from both of our teams made some comments about it, but we don't think about it much to be honest," said Melissa Schaub, whose father is a longtime tennis coach. "We knew it was going to happen at some point. We just really try to keep it about the girls and them competing."
All these years later, Ojeda has returned to the hosting role again while Schaub is in Knoxville. They went to Fieldhouse Social on Thursday night for dinner and watched college football together on Saturday once their matches ended.
No matter how many miles separate them, Ojeda and Schaub remain bonded by a friendship that began at UT.
"We talk daily and bounce coaching ideas off each other. That will never change," Schaub said. "She's done an amazing job with this program and I always love coming here to play."
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