One of the leaders for Stanford women’s tennis is senior Connie Ma out of Dublin, California. Ma has had a strong career on The Farm and took some time to chat with CardinalSportsReport.com following their home match against Cal.
Even though her team fell to Cal 4-3, Ma won her match against Jessica Alsola 6-2, 6-2. She played well and did her part.
“I mean Jess, I’ve played her before many times,” Ma said of her match. “And you know, I think going into this match I know she’s a very aggressive player, so I knew I needed to kind of be a little more aggressive myself and kind of, you know, start the point on my terms as much as I could and I think I was, you know hitting my targets pretty well, kind of moving her around, and then coming into the net, mixing it up. So I think that was going pretty well for me today.”
Now that she’s a senior, Ma has a had to become a real leader for this Stanford team. She’s really made it a priority to focus on cohesiveness and togetherness, making sure everyone on the team is on the same page.
“Yeah, been around for I guess, into my fourth year,” Ma said. “But I think our team, this year we’ve had a lot of moving parts. You know, kind of with some people leaving the team to go pro and then with Caroline coming in midyear, I think it was just important for us to all stay together and cohesive as a team, which I think we’ve been doing really well. Obviously, it’s tough to kind of take a loss, like 3-4 against Cal today, but I think it’s a really great learning experience for us. Because I think these matches is where you kind of learn the most and then take, you know, the learning experience forward and just grow from it. Yeah.”
Ma has been one who has had to do it all for this team both in singles and doubles. Whatever her team needs from her, she’s willing to do. She enjoys playing both and the differences that come with them.
“Yeah, doubles is definitely more fast paced,” Ma explained. “We start out as just one set and I feel like you can tell from today, Cal took a really hot start. They were really fantastic in doubles today. I think our team was a little or at least I was a little caught off guard by how quickly they played and just really aggressive as well. So props to them.
“And I think singles is a little more of a marathon as Frankie likes to call it. It’s, you know, two out of three sets, could go on for much longer. You have more time to kind of get into a rhythm, into a groove, more time to kind of figure things out, how to play against your opponent. And I like the part where I think in singles I can figure out a little more different ways to kind of play my opponent. So yeah.”
As her time on The Farm is coming to an end, Ma has loved everything about being a student-athlete at Stanford. More than anything it’s the people that make Stanford so special.
“I think the entire experience is super. Just awesome and very unique,” Ma said of being at Stanford. “Stanford has the most amazing, I think group of people. The student athletes here, like, just everyone here is just so fun to talk to and just very, very talented. But yeah, I think just getting to meet new people and getting to know them is probably my favorite part of Stanford just because our undergrad population is pretty small. So, getting to see where everyone comes from and what makes them unique is probably the best part.”
On head coach Frankie Brennan, Ma has loved playing under him. She loves how understanding he is and the way he motivates the team. He in turn really appreciates the leadership she has brought to the team and the way she helps lift the level of play of those around her.
“Frankie, yeah, he’s super understanding,” Ma said of Brennan. “I think he gives great energy to our team. He loves to give these pep talks and I think he incorporates a lot of humor and jokes into his speeches. So I think we can always manage to keep it light and fun as a team. So I think that’s what I really appreciate about Frankie.”
“You know, she’s unbelievable,” Brennan said of Ma. “I mean, the kid is so in tune with her game and her opponent. She’s played Jess from Cal a bunch of times. She’s just someone that I can put on the court, I feel like. And she can just go. I can stop by on changeovers maybe help her here and there with some things I’m seeing, but she’s very in tune with her game.
“So to be a leader, I can’t remember, this might be her fifth or sixth time she’s been the first one off the court and set the tone. And lately she’s been winning the doubles point. So she’s given us a 2-0 lead. This time she gets us back to one right away. Which sends a good message, you know, so she’s just been unbelievable in that position and that’s what you want from a senior leader like her. Captain, you know, everything else.”
While tennis is often an individual sport, Ma has really enjoyed the team aspect that comes with playing at Stanford. She loved being a part of Nor Cal/So Cal rivalry teams growing up and the camaraderie that comes with being on a team.
“Yeah, so growing up in juniors, I think, like tennis is like you said was a very individualized sport, but I always really enjoyed playing like those team things. I grew up in Nor Cal, so we would have things where it’s like Nor Cal versus So Cal and I think the best part is just like being able to play next to your teammates and kind of cheer them on as you’re playing. Like I really enjoy just interacting with people.
“Yeah, so I think knowing that they have my back and I’ll always be cheering for them throughout the entire match I think is a unique thing in college tennis because usually we won’t be cheering for your teammates on the next court net to you, like in junior tennis. But in college, it’s like you’re competing together as a team and you can really feel like the cohesiveness across the six courts.”
On her plans after tennis, Ma is looking to go to medical school. She majored in human biology, which is a common pre-med degree on The Farm. She’ll be starting medical school applications pretty soon. She isn’t yet sure what kind of medicine she wants to go into, but she knows that as a field, it’s something that really interests her.
“Yeah, I’m a human biology major, so on the pre-med track,” Ma said. “So, I’m looking to go to med school hopefully soon. I’m gonna have to do med school apps in a couple of months, so wish me luck there! I’m not sure [what kind of medicine] honestly. I’m just kind of trying to figure things out as I go. Trying to get different experiences here. You know, Stanford has a lot of opportunities where they let you shadow and like work in a clinic. So, I’ve been just trying to do those and kind of figure things out as I approach my application.”
Without question, Connie Ma has left her mark on Stanford women’s tennis. She’s brought incredible leadership and been a great team player, setting the tone for others around her. It’ll be fun to see what the future has in store for her.
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