Zara Ryan (Dublin, Ireland) signed with the Utah State women's tennis team for the 2019-20 season, head coach Sean McInerney announced Tuesday. Ryan has an ITF ranking of 2,885 and a Universal Tennis Ranking of nine.
Recently, USU Athletics caught up with Ryan to ask a few questions about herself and why she chose Utah State.
Why did you choose Utah State?
"I really liked Sean from the first conversation we had. When I visited USU, I loved everything about the college, all the people I met and I immediately knew it was the right place for me."
How would you describe your style of play?
"I would definitely be an aggressive player, but I like to mix it up and come into the net too. I’m a lefty, so I like using that to my advantage."
What is your most memorable moment thus far in your tennis career?
"[The] most memorable moment in my career would have to be when I was playing a match a good few years ago. I was losing 6-3, 6-6 and was 6-0 down in the tiebreak, and she had six match points. I went to serve and just told myself that anything is possible. I came back to win the tiebreak, 8-6, and then I won the third set pretty easy. That match definitely showed me that anything really is possible and that I should never, ever give up."
What are you hoping to bring to the program your freshman year?
"I'm such a team player, which is strange seeing as tennis is such an individual sport. I know college tennis is so different in that sense where everything is done as a team. I'm really looking forward to that, as well as everything else. In terms of bringing something to the team, I'm quite an outgoing person and love to have fun on and off the court. I have been told that I give really good life motivational speeches, too."
What are you planning on studying at Utah State University? If undecided, what are a few areas of interest?
"I’m not certain about what I want to study, and I'm really interested in so many different areas. I think that hopefully I will go into mathematics and maybe accountancy, too. I will more than likely try to incorporate French because I would love to go to France in the future to live there and work for a couple of months and play tennis after I finish college."
What is your favorite movie?
"My favorite one would probably be 'Good Will Hunting' because I find it so intriguing and have probably watched it one time too many."
What is your must-watch show on Netflix or television?
"I have literally watched 'Prison Break' three times over because it's so good and it never gets old."
What is your favorite food?
"I love cooking at home and do it all the time. I would say my all-time favorite meal to cook would be pasta with chicken. It sounds boring, but when you add peppers, spices and cheese and lots of other things it can be really good."
Who is your favorite professional tennis player?
"I love Roger Federer of course. He plays so effortlessly and makes being that good look so easy."
What is your favorite quote?
"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."
Utah State women's tennis returns to the courts in Salt Lake City where they will face Utah on Jan. 19, followed by their first home match against Southern Utah on Sun, Jan. 20, at 11 a.m. MT, as part of seven home matches during the season.