This week I sat down with Melissa Matsuoka ’14, a four-year starter for the women’s tennis team, to look back on the highlights of her career, challenges she faced and what lies ahead.
How did it feel to be honored as the ITA Division I Northeast’s Most Improved Senior?
MM: I felt really proud to represent Dartmouth women’s tennis. We had a winning record in the Ivy League, and it was really exciting to beat Harvard this year 4-3. I know that our underclassmen really stepped it up and I’m just really proud of everyone.
What do you think helped you earn this recognition?
MM: We spend so much time at the gym, at practice, at team dinners, and it’s just really important to have that great team culture and strong cohesion. I feel like we really capitalized on that.
What was your favorite moment playing tennis here?
MM: When we won the Ivy League for the first time in Dartmouth women’s tennis history [in 2011]. It was a match at Harvard and it came down to the very last match. We had worked very hard that year to get to where we were. It was just an incredible moment.
I guess another was my very last match against Harvard at home. My dad came out to the match from California, and that was the first time he had seen me play a match at Dartmouth. I know that a lot of my friends came out too, and I’m just really glad to have had that support.
Do you think you’ll continue playing tennis?
MM: I think so. A few of my friends from back home who play tennis want to play doubles tournaments when I come home. I’m really excited to do that. I also want to take up golf. My sister, who is a sophomore in high school, is an avid golfer and starting the recruiting process right now, and so I kind of want to just go on the driving range with her and maybe play a few rounds if I get good enough.
Is there a professional player who you look up to?
MM: I would say Kim Clijsters. She is retired now, but I just really admire her hard work and dedication to the sport and also her great attitude on the court. Her sportsmanship is very unparalleled. Growing up I always wanted to play like her.
What would be your dream tournament to play in?
MM: I would say Wimbledon. My junior fall I studied abroad in London for the history FSP and had the chance to visit Wimbledon and see the grass courts. When I stepped into the tennis center I could just feel the chills on my body. You could feel the rich history behind those lawn courts and behind the tournament.
When you studied abroad, was it hard at all coming back to tennis?
MM: It was definitely a struggle. I remember we did this running exercise called shuttles, and I was dead last. My game felt really off, and it was just hard to come back and play matches. My team and [head coach Bob Dallis] were my support. I just felt compelled to work hard no matter what the results were. I actually tried out to be on the University College of London team but the level of play was not at the Division I collegiate-level here, so I didn’t really get a chance to get good practice.
What is your favorite thing about Dartmouth outside of athletics?
MM: I would say the great sense of community here. My dad and I visited multiple colleges on the East Coast, and I immediately fell in love with Dartmouth the moment I stepped on campus. My dad and I were kind of jumbled with maps of Dartmouth and really confused on where to go and where to eat, and people just went out of their way to help us along. That really stood out to me.
What’s the best class you have taken at Dartmouth?
MM: I’m a history major and I didn’t decide that until my sophomore fall when I took professor Steven Ericson’s “Emergence of Modern Japan.” Before that I was thinking of doing a pre-med track, but I didn’t really enjoy the requirements. All the ’11s on the tennis team were history majors, so I thought, why not try and take a history course.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
