Charger Chatter: Kamryn Matthews

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Charger Chatter: Kamryn Matthews
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Kamryn Matthews is a freshman tennis player from Midland, Mich. She plans to study psychology with a sports-related minor. (Photo: Charger Athletics / Courtesy)

How long have you played tennis?

Since first grade. I started playing in the little kids’ classes, and I really liked it, so I started playing more competitively and getting into tournaments. Then high school tennis came along, and I was a captain on my high school team and just loved it so much. So I always knew that I wanted to play college tennis. Now that I’m here and actually playing college tennis, it’s really cool to see how far I’ve come.

How did playing tennis affect your decision to come to Hillsdale?

Through the whole recruiting process, one of my major priorities was to find a school that was strong academically, and there weren’t very many schools that could top Hillsdale. Then, after meeting with the coach and the girls on my team and coming to campus, I knew it was going to be the right fit for me.

What are some of your past tennis achievements? 

I won States individually junior and senior year of high school, and my team won States my senior year as well, so that was really cool.

Do you have a favorite memory from playing tennis?

My junior year of States, I was playing doubles, and my partner and I were playing third seed so we weren’t expected to win. Then we made it to the finals, and we were playing the only team we had lost to that season. We had so many people there — our friends, our family, our teammates — and it was this super long three-hour match. We finally won and everyone rushed our court. It was just so exciting.

How has tennis shaped who you are?

Playing a sport definitely challenges someone because you can’t just focus all on one thing. It’s taught me a lot of discipline and time management and it’s taught me that if you really want something, you do need to work for it; it’s not going to come easy.

Has it been hard to balance tennis and academics?

It’s been tough, that’s for sure, especially adjusting to a college education. It’s been hard, but it’s helped so much having teammates that are always there for you. Tennis is so rewarding, so even though it’s tough sometimes, going out and playing for Hillsdale with your team and then coming out with wins is just an awesome feeling. It makes everything worth it.

What goals do you have for this season?

One of the goals that everyone has is obviously winning the conference. Especially as a freshman, I want to play as much as I can and get as many wins as I can and just develop myself as a player and take myself to the next level.

How do you envision athletics shaping your experience at Hillsdale?

Being on a team gives you a whole group of people that you wouldn’t necessarily be around. It really helped me because before I came in, I was really close with a lot of girls, and I know a lot of freshmen did not have the opportunity to meet people before coming in. And it teaches you a lot about time management and priorities and responsibilities, so it shapes someone as a person and shows them what it takes.

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