​The first practice of the Robin Goodman era will likely look unlike any in recent Missouri tennis history.One player returning from last season’s roster.Around her stands a transfer from SMU, highly touted American recruits, international standouts from Europe and South America and a coaching staff seeing many of its players in black and gold for the first time.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementDifferent accents will echo across the courts. Different styles of play emerging during drills. Different backgrounds blending all together into one roster.They all arrive in Columbia with the same goal.Help Missouri tennis begin again.Monday’s debut of Tiger Top Spin introduced readers to the program’s coaching change and the arrival of Goodman. Every Wednesday, Columns & Courts will take a closer look at the players, recruiting, lineup battles and roster decisions shaping Missouri tennis. The first edition starts with the foundation Goodman has spent the offseason assembling.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFor a coach inheriting a program that lost virtually its entire roster, recruiting was never going to be about replacing players one for one.It was about building an identity.The lone connection between last season and this one is sophomore Alex Ackman.The former five-star recruit enters her second collegiate season after compiling an 11-13 singles record while being the Tigers’ main stay in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions.Now, she becomes far more than Missouri’s top returning player.She becomes the player every newcomer will look to as they learn what it means to compete in the Southeastern Conference.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAround Ackman, Goodman assembled a roster with one noticeable characteristic: experience.That starts with transfer Millie Skelton.The former SMU Mustang gives Missouri something every rebuilding program needs: proven college experience. Goodman praised not only her maturity and work ethic but also the energy she brings to a locker room undergoing significant change.“I am thrilled to have Millie join our program,” Goodman said when announcing the signing. “She is a great player who is hardworking and dedicated to her tennis and studies.”Experience, however, was only one part of Missouri’s recruiting philosophy.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe Tigers also expanded their reach well beyond the United States.International recruiting has become increasingly important throughout college tennis, particularly in the SEC, where nearly every nationally ranked program features players with professional and international experience before arriving on campus.Goodman’s first class reflects that reality.Spain’s Alba Salles Canudas arrives after winning the 2025 Spanish National Doubles Championship while also reaching the quarterfinals of an ITF J60 event. Her doubles success could become particularly valuable in a conference where the doubles point often determines the momentum