Muzzolon aces her ECU experience

The first few nights for any college freshman are often challenging. East Carolina University women’s tennis student-athlete Martina Muzzolon, a native of Padua, Italy, encountered an unexpected obstacle on her first evening as a resident of Scott Hall in 2021.

“When I came here, I was lost,” she said. “My first night here I went to charge my phone, and I went to put the plug in the wall and realized it wasn’t the same.”

Buying a new USB plug was the least of Muzzolon’s adjustments. She had never been to North Carolina and only saw ECU’s campus virtually through the recruiting process due to COVID restrictions. Muzzolon, along with teammates Ines Bachir, Anne Lou Champion and Isabella Rivera Ortiz, were all international freshmen who were far from home and didn’t know anyone. But they had each other.

“In the beginning everything was different,” she said. “The language was different, and it was a completely new place. But after the first few weeks and being around the others, we immediately started spending all our time together and it’s become the best experience.”

She almost didn’t have the “best experience.” In December 2020, her mother was diagnosed with advanced Stage 3 breast cancer. At the same time, Martina hoped to achieve her dream of attending college in the U.S. but felt selfish for considering leaving Italy during a time of need, so she kept her plans a secret. The plan could only stay a secret for so long, and she broke down during a midsummer tennis tournament overcome by guilt and sadness. During a conversation that night, her mother reassured Martina to pursue her dreams and gave them both the strength to move forward.

Muzzolon has excelled on the court as one of the top singles and doubles players. As a junior, she won the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Carolina Regionals consolation championship for the first time in ECU program history. Off the court, the accounting major accepts the pressure of being a student-athlete and uses her visibility to positively influence others.

Martina Muzzolon hits a shot during a tennis match.
(Photo courtesy of ECU Athletics/Rob Taylor)

 “For us, we received a scholarship, and everyone is ready to help us. I feel that giving back is very important. As a student-athlete, you have to be a role model. A lot of people are looking at you and at the team. You have to do the right thing at the right moment.”

The women’s tennis team has been active in the Greenville community, earning the 2024 ITA Carolina Region Community Service Award. Muzzolon said the team has a goal of completing 30 hours of community service every season and has worked with local elementary and middle schools as well as the Ronald McDonald House.

Additionally, Muzzolon is a member of ECU’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and the American Athletic Conference SAAC. At ECU, she and fellow student-athletes from Denmark and Spain started the International Student-Athlete Committee. The initiative creates a supportive space for international student-athletes, helping those who experience homesickness while balancing academic and athletic commitments.

In the classroom, Muzzolon has excelled, as shown by her 3.9 grade point average. She is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society and the Beta Alpha Psi national accounting honor society.

“Martina’s greatest strengths are her academic and interpersonal skills,” said Dr. Douglas Schneider, Edwin B. Jones Family distinguished professor of accounting. “She has shown dedication toward schoolwork and developing a career in accounting through internships.”

Muzzolon was recognized for her service to the community and academic achievement by being presented with an International Student Award during International Education Week last November. The award recognizes an outstanding undergraduate international student who has demonstrated academic excellence and a positively contributed to ECU and/or the Greenville community.

“When I applied for the award, I didn’t have high expectations because there are a lot of international students here,” she said. “I try to be a hard worker every day, and I’m thankful that my hard work paid off and grateful for the opportunity to win the award.”

Her work ethic hasn’t gone unnoticed by ECU women’s tennis head coach Kirstin Burgess ’06.

“Martina doesn’t know how to stop or quit,” said Burgess. “From the moment she wakes up to the moment she goes to sleep, she is working. Whether for school, practice, rehab or work at the ticket office, she keeps going all day and isn’t afraid of being told what she needs to improve on.”

With her tennis career complete, Muzzolon hopes to stay at ECU to pursue a master’s degree in accounting from the Arthur Graduate School of Business. She has a summer internship in Boston with Ernst & Young and plans to become a certified public accountant.

While Muzzolon wasn’t sure whether her mother would approve of her attending college in the U.S., her mom, dad and brother are coming from Italy to see her complete her ECU journey at the commencement ceremony.

Her lasting memories of ECU will be experiences with her teammates and the friendships she made.

“I feel that the trips with the team were the most memorable,” she said. “I’ve been living the best life with the people I created a family with.”

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