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LIBBY RICKEMAN ‘21
CAROL MATSUZAKI
MEGAN GUENTHER ‘21
VANESSA KITOVA ‘21
TENNIS
In 2019-20, the Engineers posted a 3-2 record
before the spring season was cancelled due to
the Covid-19 pandemic. The team, which has
appeared in both the 2018 and 2019 NCAA Elite
Eights, earned a pair of nationally-ranked victories
at the 2020 ITA Indoor National Championship.
The squad finished the year ranked No. 9 in the
nation for the third straight season.
Megan Guenther ‘21, Vanessa Kitova ‘21 and Yuka Perera ‘23
each earned ITA Scholar-Athlete accolades for a GPA of a 3.5
or higher on a 4.0 scale. In addition, the program earned ITA
All-Academic Team accolades for the 18th straight season. In
addtion, Lara Rakocevic ‘20, Megan Guenther ‘21, Vanessa
Kitova ‘21 and Ashley Teng ‘22 earned NEWMAC Academic
All-Conference honors. (FULL STORIES - NEWMAC - ITA)
“I resonate with MIT’s culture
of meritocracy, respect, and
support. I also wanted to pursue
the most rigorous engineering
education while continuing
to play tennis competitively.
The culture, the academics,
and the athletics all played a
significant role in my decision.”
- Vanessa Kitova ‘21
Lara Rakocevic ‘20 picked up
her 100th career victory at
ITA Indoor Nationals as she
captured up a straight-set
win at No. 4 singles vs. No.
9 ranked Brandeis University.
“I have many memories of close and exhilarating matches,
however one experience I will always remember was when
I was a freshman and one day after practice the seniors sat
down with the team and we just discussed life and school
and career stuff. It was the first time I really felt like my
teammates were my supporters and that I could talk to them
about literally anything and I knew that they would just always
have my back. I realized this was the culture of the team
and it has been like this throughout my MIT experience.”
- Libby Rickeman ‘21
“One of the best memories I have was when
we won Regionals after beating Bowdoin
5-4. When we had played them earlier in
the season we really struggled but this
time around I remember feeling each
of my teammates put it all on the court
to pull off this win. It made all the tough
practices more than worth it and to get to
experience this special moment with my
team was something I will never forget.”
- Ashley Teng ‘22
“Being a student athlete at MIT is a tough
yet extremely rewarding experience.
Although a sport is an addition to an
already packed schedule, you learn to
balance your time well, and it’s great to
be able to spend time out of your day
just focusing on the sport you love.”
- Megan Guenther ‘21
“Most days before practice starts, the
team would gather and talk about how
they are feeling, and how their day was
going. It may seem like a small gesture, but
to me, this showed that the coaches and
your teammates truly care about you and
always make your well-being a top priority.”
- Yuka Perera ‘23
A 10-time NEWMAC Coach of the Year, Carol Matsuzaki enters her 23rd season as the head coach
of the MIT women’s tennis program in 2020-21. The winningest coach in MIT women’s tennis
history with a career dual match record of 282-124, she was named as the 2018 ITA Division III
National Coach of the Year. (FULL BIO)