Tennis seniors leave lasting legacy
The ECU women’s tennis senior class of Ines Bachir, Anne Lou Champion, Martina Muzzolon and Isabella Rivera Ortiz came from around the world to Greenville not knowing each other or ever having seen the campus.
Over four years, the quartet has become a closely knit group that individually and collectively made their mark on the tennis program and the campus community.
Kirstin Burgess ’06, whom Bachir referred to as “being like a second mom,” was responsible for restarting ECU’s women’s tennis program in January 2021. This was her first recruiting class, which she did virtually and over the phone, not meeting any of them in person until they arrived in North Carolina for the fall 2021 semester.
“It was an interesting process,” said Burgess. “I started recruiting in March and they were here by August.”
The student-athletes had to adjust to a new environment, but they didn’t do it alone.
“All of us were freshmen international students. We understood who we were at the time and just connected,” said Rivera Ortiz.
The team has grown on the court, finishing with 11 wins last season, the program’s best since 2017.
The foursome has made an impact in the classroom. ECU won the AAC Women’s Tennis Academic Excellence Award for 2023-2024. For the fall 2024 semester, the team recorded a 3.86 GPA, which led ECU athletics and is the highest single-semester GPA in program history. In November, Muzzolon was one of three students to receive an International Student Award.
The team embraced ECU’s motto, Servire, earning the 2024 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Carolina Region Community Service Award. They logged over 400 hours of community service, serving the Greenville community by volunteering at local elementary and middle schools and the Ronald McDonald House.
“They’ve all brought such unique skills,” said Burgess. “From academics to the tennis court to personalities, all four of them are very, very different, yet they’ve united in a way that’s a strength that can’t be broken.”
Ines Bachir
Major: Sports studies with a minor in merchandising
Hometown: Casablanca, Morocco
Anne Lou Champion
Major: Business management
Hometown: Saint-Amand-Montrond, France
Martina Muzzolon
Major: Accounting with a minor in business administration
Hometown: Padua, Italy
Isabella Rivera Ortiz
Major: Economics
Hometown: Medellin, Colombia