Bella Mastopietro started playing tennis during the global pandemic as a fun pastime. When she came to Woodland Regional High School as a freshman, Mastropietro decided to join the Woodland Girls Tennis team, not expecting to fall in love with the sport. 

“I started playing tennis with my father for fun,” said Mastropietro. “When I got to high school I joined the tennis team with one of my friends and ended up loving it.”

Being named captain has always been a goal for Mastopietro. Throughout her time on the team, she has been a vocal player by encouraging teammates and coaching younger players. As such, it is no surprise that Mastropietro earned the title of captain during her senior season. 

“Even when I did not have the title of captain I was a team leader,” said Mastropietro. “Whether I received the title or not I would have continued to be a leader on [the tennis] team.” 

As a captain, it is Mastropietro’s responsibility to make sure the team is focused at practice while fostering a positive environment. 

“A lot of the younger players have little to no experience playing competitive tennis,” said Mastropietro. “That is why it is really important for me to be positive at practice and encourage the girls so they don’t get down on themselves.” 

Mastrpietro suffered from a knee injury during her junior year. As a result of that injury she transitioned from a singles to a doubles player which was a big adjustment for her.

“Doubles is a totally different game compared to singles so it was a huge learning curve for me,” said Mastropeitro.

Mastropietro has been in the shoes of the younger players so she understands their frustrations as they learn the ways of the game. 

“I have experienced a lot of the things that younger girls are going through,” said Mastropietro. “So I try to use what I learned to help them be more successful.” 

As the season progresses, Mastropietro hopes that she and her doubles partner go All-NVL. In regards to a team goal, she hopes that all of the younger players return next year and grow the program. 

“This is more of a growing year for the program,” said Mastropietro. “We have a lot of younger players and with a lot of hard work, next season this will be a very strong team.”