Madeleine Paolucci is a second-year tennis player on the Case Western Reserve University women’s tennis team. In only her first year, she was ranked tenth in Division III doubles with partner Nithya Kanagasegar, and finished 16-11 in singles. When she is not playing tennis, she is an active member of Pi Beta Phi and a dedicated nursing major. While this leads to her having little time to spare, she loves to bake when she gets the chance.

What is your favorite part of being on the tennis team? Why?

The best part about being on the tennis team here at CWRU is my team. We are a small team and a close knit group of girls who spend a lot of time together. The weekends that we spend traveling together are always the most memorable weekends that I always look forward to.

Where did you get your passion for tennis? Any good stories?

I started playing tennis when I was about 6 years old. Both my parents played as well, so they would take us to the courts and toss balls to us to see if it was something we liked. I played a lot of other sports growing up like soccer, basketball, swimming and volleyball but when I got to high school, I decided that I wanted to focus just on tennis as it was always my favorite of the sports that I played. So you could say that I got my passion for the sport from my parents introducing it to me at a young age, and it has stuck with me ever since.

Do you have any matches that you remember being particularly special? Why?

My freshman year I went to the NCAA tournament with my doubles partner Nithya Kanagasager and it was definitely the most exciting tournament I have had the honor to play in. Our first round match we played a team from Mary Washington that we had lost to previously in the season and we ended up beating them to become the first All-American’s in our programs history. It was a really special moment for both of us and I was so happy that Nithya was able to graduate on such a high note. Another match that was equally as memorable for me was playing in the ITA Central Region doubles final with my partner, Jessie Liu. Jessie and I beat the University of Chicago team which qualified us to play the Oracle Cup. This was another program first for us and being able to play at Oracle Cup with Jessie was an amazing experience.

Aside from tennis, what else are you involved in on campus? Can you explain what you do in them?

I am also involved in Greek Life on campus. Pi Beta Phi is great because it gives me a break from school and is a great way to get involved around campus with other chapters. Especially being a nursing student, Greek Life has given me the opportunity to meet so many more people who I don’t have classes with. School and tennis keep me pretty busy so I don’t have any executive positions in my chapter but I am on the social committee.

Why are you majoring in nursing? What interests you about it?

During my last few years in high school I became interested in nursing as a potential career because I have always loved science and working with people in general. Also, the idea of having a job that isn’t your regular sit down desk job was appealing to me. When I looked at CWRU, the great nursing program is one of the reasons that brought me here since I knew I wanted to do nursing.

What are your plans for after college?

I still have two years left of school so I really haven’t thought about life after college too much. I love kids so I am interested in pediatrics, but I take all of those nursing classes next year, so by the end of my junior year I should have a better idea of what area I want to go into. I am from Grosse Pointe Farms, MI originally and I love home but there are also some great hospitals in the Cleveland area and all over the country so we will see where I end up.

What are your favorite free time activities? Why?

One of my favorite things to do in my free time is bake. I love making anything from cookies to brownies to cakes, but I especially love eating cookie dough. I also love playing with my Portuguese Water Dog, Emma. Some of my other favorite hobbies are working out and spending time with friends.  

What is your favorite quote or what inspires you?  

I have some amazing parents that come to support me at so many of my matches since I was little so I would say they are what inspires me the most. My parents have taught me some of the most important lessons like how to be a team player and how to never give up that pertain to not just me on the tennis court, but also in everyday life.