Head women’s tennis coach Mel Zampardo
Courtesy | Hillsdale College Athletic Department
Mel Zampardo ’25 should feel right at home as the new head women’s tennis coach, after playing on the team and assistant coaching over the last four years.
Zampardo played three years at Hillsdale after transferring from Wayne State University as a sophomore. She was named team captain her senior year and served as assistant coach during the 2024-25 season under the team’s previous head coach, Nikki Walbright.
Zampardo recorded 67 match wins at Hillsdale while playing at No. 2 and No. 3 singles and No. 1 and No. 2 doubles. Zampardo also earned All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference honors all three seasons.
“Hillsdale was the first place I really felt at home,” Zampardo said. “What has really drawn me to coaching is wanting to make the impact in just one girl’s life that coach Nikki has had on my life.”
Zampardo, who spent the summer doing a coaching internship in Virginia, said her insights as a coach come from her time as a player and teammate.
“My goal as a coach is to have a player-led team, and I know that that’s not me anymore,” Zampardo said. “All I can really do is inspire the leaders on my team.”
Junior Ane Dannhauser, assistant captain of the team, said her respect for Zampardo comes from being her teammate as a freshman, but also Zampardo’s support as assistant coach.
“I cannot be more excited to have her as my coach, because it feels like we’ve been a part of her journey, during my freshman year she was a senior, and the captain,” Dannhauser said. “The team is so excited, because we know how much it means to her, how good she is at what she does, and how much she cares.”
Dannhauser said Zampardo’s experience at Hillsdale separates her from other coaches, especially in Dannhauser’s own life.
“She knows Hillsdale so well, and she knows what it means to be on the team,” Dannhauser said. “Mel also knows me, she talks matches through with me, and knows how to calm me down which is a different perspective because she’s always going to be there when I need to work through things.”
For senior and co-captain Bella Spinazze, Zampardo plays a major role in her college tennis experience. From knowing her as a teammate to respecting her as a coach, Spinazze said Zampardo could not be a better fit for the role.
“Although Mel is new to being a head coach, she feels like home to me,” Spinazze said. “She is a huge role model on and off the court.We also have a really unique opportunity this year with four new players and a new coach to create a new dynamic and foster an environment that promotes success and challenges us all.”
For Spinazze, Zampardo’s example as a captain has shaped her own expectations for herself as a captain this year. Spinazze said she and her co-captain, senior Megan Hackman, understand the significance of being intentional with leading the team well.
“On a personal level, it will be important for me as a captain to stay positive and stay focused on tennis,” Spinazze said. “As a senior, it can be difficult to not get swept into everything else going on during the school year and lose sight of leading a team. So it will be crucial to keep the team as a main priority this year.”
While both Spinazze and Hackman spent some of their college careers as Zampardo’s teammates, it will serve as an example for the younger women on the team, according to Zampardo.
“I’m so close with the seniors and the biggest leaders on my team,” Zampardo said. “With them coming to me and me having a constant line of communication with them, it will inspire the younger girls to see that I understand.”
For Zampardo, coaching at Hillsdale was a dream and this team has given her the confidence to take on the authority of being responsible for the season.
“This is my dream job,” Zampardo said. “I loved my athletic experience playing Division II and Hillsdale is the best school in the world. Yeah, this is the best place to be.”
Zampardo said the opportunity for assessing the team will be at their home invitational Sept. 6, plus another invitational later this month. Zampardo also said she is already looking forward to the spring season.
“Our fall season is gonna be a really good precursor and a retelling of how spring goes,” Zampardo said. “We have a tournament right off the bat after the first full week of classes. It’ll be a great opportunity for everyone to get out and play very raw.”
