Vince Orlando - Men's Tennis Coach - Michigan State University Athletics

Vince Orlando

Title:
Assistant Coach

Michigan State men’s tennis head coach Mike Flowers announced on June 1, 2026 that Vince Orlando has returned to the Spartan staff as an assistant coach.

A native of Lansing, Michigan, Vince Orlando returns to the Spartan staff after serving as an assistant coach at MSU from January-May, 2025, before coaching at Ole Miss for the 2025-26 season.

“I’m ecstatic to have Vince return to our program,” Flowers said. “He cares deeply about this program, university and community. Vince is one of the hardest workers I know and will bring an intensity and passion that will not go unnoticed. I’m excited to have the privilege to work with Vince every day and cannot wait to get him back home to East Lansing. The program is lucky to have him!”

Vince Orlando is the son of former MSU men’s tennis coaching legend Gene Orlando, who retired in 2022 after 31 seasons at the helm of the Spartans and is the winningest coach in program history with 361 victories.

“Michigan State has always been home to me,” Vince Orlando said. “Growing up around this university gave me a deep appreciation for the people, traditions, and values that make this place so special. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to return to East Lansing and coach the Green and White. I’m fired up to get to work and do everything I can to provide our student-athletes with the best possible experience!

“I’m excited to build meaningful relationships and contribute to the continued success of Spartan tennis and embrace this wonderful community!”

While at Ole Miss, Vince Orlando helped the Rebels to a 19-10 overall record and a 6-8 record in the SEC, including posting six wins against teams ranked in the Top 75 of the ITA Team Rankings. Ole Miss earned the No. 10 seed in the SEC Tournament, advancing to the second round before falling to No. 7 seed and 10th-ranked South Carolina. The Rebels earned a No. 2 seed in the Tuscon Regional of the NCAA Tournament, but were knocked off by No. 3 seed Clemson, in the opening round. Ole Miss were No. 33 in the final ITA Team Rankings.

Orlando coached Ole Miss freshman Stefano D’Agostino, who earned Second Team All-SEC accolades, winning 13 overall singles victories, including 12 in dual matches and three wins over ranked opponents.

In his one spring with the Spartans in 2025, Orlando helped MSU post a 17-10 record including 10-3 Big Ten Conference record, highlighted by a pair of Top 10 upset wins over No. 7 Kentucky and No. 10 Arizona, in addition to beating No. 24 Illinois and No. 26 USC, as well as beating No. 25 Michigan for the first Victory for MSU over UM since the 2002-03 season.

Additionally, Orlando helped coach Ozan Baris to earn All-America accolades as a junior, as well as five All-Big Ten honorees, with Baris and fellow junior Aristotelis Thanos being tabbed to the All-Big Ten First Team list, while senior Max Sheldon was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team. Freshman Matthew Forbes represented the Spartans on the All-Freshman Team, and freshman Danial Rakhmatullayev was honored with the B1G Sportsmanship Award.

Orlando played five seasons at Ball State, including receiving the Mid-American Conference’s Jack Vredevelt Sportsmanship Award, an annual honor presented to a MAC senior who has displayed outstanding sportsmanship throughout his career. The last time a Ball State player earned the accolade was in 2017.

While at Ball State, he also earned All-MAC Tournament accolades, as well as earning MAC Athlete of the Week for either singles or doubles a total of five times during his career. Orlando helped Ball State reach a ranking as high at No. 44 during his Cardinal career. He collected 78 singles wins during his BSU career, highlighted by wins over Michigan State, Indiana, Notre Dame, Purdue and Memphis, playing primarily at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles the majority of his career with the Cardinals.

Academically, Orlando helped Ball State earn three ITA Academic Team awards and was a five-time recipient of the ITA Scholar-Athlete Award, along with a four-time Academic All-MAC honoree. He also was a four-year member of Ball State’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and was BSU’s SAAC treasurer his senior year.

Orlando graduated with a bachelor’s degree in interpersonal communication with a minor in psychology from Ball State, along with his master’s in information communication sciences.