Middle Tennessee State University Athletics
Sposetti’s unique path helps her to successful first season with MTSU Women’s Tennis
5/29/2024 1:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — College athletics is a world in which some incredible things can happen. However, 95 percent of the time, most athletes follow the same path. You get recruited out of high school, join the team and play while you earn your undergraduate degree. For some sports, such as tennis, a large majority of players are international, and it's often where you hear stories that are somewhat off the wall compared to some of the more traditional sports we are used to in the United States, such as baseball, football and basketball.
Middle Tennessee women's tennis experienced one of those unique situations when they brought in Ilaria Sposetti prior to the start of the spring 2024 season.
A Tolentino, Italy native, Sposetti played tennis growing up from the time she was a small child, and even played through her days earning an undergraduate degree in language and marketing in Italy. The unique part of it? Sposetti played professionally against some of the best women's players Italy and other European regions had to offer.
As such a young player, things weren't always easy, however, and it made Sposetti start to question if her passion for tennis was still as strong as it was in her childhood.
Enter MTSU and college tennis. Sposetti hit it off immediately with Head Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall and Assistant Coach Luisa Zirilli and decided that Murfreesboro was the place for her to rekindle her love and passion for the game.
There were some obstacles to overcome with her recruitment process beginning in September of 2023, but Sposetti knew if she wanted it enough, she could make it happen.
"I was motivated when I decided to come here," Sposetti said. "It all happened really late. I started the process in September and was here by January. It was some pressure, but I knew that because I don't have as much time, I needed to do good quickly in the new environment."
Eligibility-wise, Sposetti came in as a redshirt junior, which isn't shocking to most when you hear that she had previous college credits under her belt, but what was different is that she hasn't played a single match of collegiate tennis in the U.S. prior to this semester. Though she was listed as a junior, she was coming in as bright-eyed and bushy tailed as an 18-year-old freshman. Sposetti handled the pressure of playing on a top doubles pairing and at the number two singles court, well, however.
Playing doubles with Lilly-Sophie Schmidt, she won six matches in a row and racked up seven wins in singles play. Getting used to the team environment for the first time helped her develop leadership skills and learn to always keep a positive mindset, no matter how tough things got on the court.
"I was alone a lot and played alone a lot in Italy," Sposetti said. "When I first got to college, it took a bit to get used to the team environment. I learned to be supportive and positive of my teammates this season. I remember in my first month that the coaches told me to remain positive during matches, and it helped me a lot during this season."
Even with lofty expectations, the Tolentino native delivered, filling a leadership role on a young squad, and helping guide the Blue Raiders to a Conference USA Tournament berth for the fourth season in a row. Having the steadiness from Sposetti to help the young players step up when others were out with injury helped make the 2024 spring season a success.
"I think my experience helped me, having played in some professional tournaments," Sposetti said. "My first matches weren't as good as I wanted, so it pushed me to work harder in practice to get better. In doubles with Lilly, it worked out well and moving to the second singles spot helped me grow."
With a full offseason ahead and being able to play in the fall, Sposetti is looking forward to taking the next step to become a dominant force for Middle Tennessee. The numbers this past year didn't tell the full story of what the Tolentino native meant to the team. Sposetti laid the foundation in 2024 and it will help her turn her unique path she took to get to Murfreesboro into a career that packs a lot of pivotal moments into her short time as a Blue Raider.
"I just want to continue being a positive force for my teammates and working even harder in practice," Sposetti said. "I want to be even better and make sure I want to help my teammates even more, so that's what I'm looking to focus on this summer while I'm back home, just finding ways to do that."
Middle Tennessee women's tennis experienced one of those unique situations when they brought in Ilaria Sposetti prior to the start of the spring 2024 season.
A Tolentino, Italy native, Sposetti played tennis growing up from the time she was a small child, and even played through her days earning an undergraduate degree in language and marketing in Italy. The unique part of it? Sposetti played professionally against some of the best women's players Italy and other European regions had to offer.
As such a young player, things weren't always easy, however, and it made Sposetti start to question if her passion for tennis was still as strong as it was in her childhood.
Enter MTSU and college tennis. Sposetti hit it off immediately with Head Coach Tayo Bailey-Duvall and Assistant Coach Luisa Zirilli and decided that Murfreesboro was the place for her to rekindle her love and passion for the game.
There were some obstacles to overcome with her recruitment process beginning in September of 2023, but Sposetti knew if she wanted it enough, she could make it happen.
"I was motivated when I decided to come here," Sposetti said. "It all happened really late. I started the process in September and was here by January. It was some pressure, but I knew that because I don't have as much time, I needed to do good quickly in the new environment."
Eligibility-wise, Sposetti came in as a redshirt junior, which isn't shocking to most when you hear that she had previous college credits under her belt, but what was different is that she hasn't played a single match of collegiate tennis in the U.S. prior to this semester. Though she was listed as a junior, she was coming in as bright-eyed and bushy tailed as an 18-year-old freshman. Sposetti handled the pressure of playing on a top doubles pairing and at the number two singles court, well, however.
Playing doubles with Lilly-Sophie Schmidt, she won six matches in a row and racked up seven wins in singles play. Getting used to the team environment for the first time helped her develop leadership skills and learn to always keep a positive mindset, no matter how tough things got on the court.
"I was alone a lot and played alone a lot in Italy," Sposetti said. "When I first got to college, it took a bit to get used to the team environment. I learned to be supportive and positive of my teammates this season. I remember in my first month that the coaches told me to remain positive during matches, and it helped me a lot during this season."
Even with lofty expectations, the Tolentino native delivered, filling a leadership role on a young squad, and helping guide the Blue Raiders to a Conference USA Tournament berth for the fourth season in a row. Having the steadiness from Sposetti to help the young players step up when others were out with injury helped make the 2024 spring season a success.
"I think my experience helped me, having played in some professional tournaments," Sposetti said. "My first matches weren't as good as I wanted, so it pushed me to work harder in practice to get better. In doubles with Lilly, it worked out well and moving to the second singles spot helped me grow."
With a full offseason ahead and being able to play in the fall, Sposetti is looking forward to taking the next step to become a dominant force for Middle Tennessee. The numbers this past year didn't tell the full story of what the Tolentino native meant to the team. Sposetti laid the foundation in 2024 and it will help her turn her unique path she took to get to Murfreesboro into a career that packs a lot of pivotal moments into her short time as a Blue Raider.
"I just want to continue being a positive force for my teammates and working even harder in practice," Sposetti said. "I want to be even better and make sure I want to help my teammates even more, so that's what I'm looking to focus on this summer while I'm back home, just finding ways to do that."
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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