Melisa Ates Named Assistant Women’s Tennis Coach
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Melisa Ates, one of the most decorated players in the history of Washington State University, has been named Assistant Coach for the Lobo Women’s Tennis team, head coach Vicky Maes announced. While this will be Ates’ first collegiate coaching gig, she has extensive and valuable experience playing both at the junior and collegiate levels.
Said Coach Maes: “Melisa Ates is an extremely driven individual who brings a lot of college tennis knowhow to our program. She was immersed in a very successful system at Washington State University and will be in a great position to help our student-athletes compete at the next level. Her love for college tennis was apparent from the start, and I felt very comfortable offering her the opportunity to enter the coaching ranks. I have no doubt she will have a very positive impact on our student-athletes and be a strong asset in the development of our program.”
A native of Turkey, Melisa Ates reached a high of No.13 in the national open rankings and No.3 in all age-group rankings. She also represented Turkey on the national team throughout her career and garnered a world ITA ranking in doubles competing in numerous international events.
A high-performance competitor for Washington State, Ates improved year after year. The two-year team captain reached a career-high of 91 in the NCAA rankings as a senior and won multiple collegiate tournament titles along the way. Ates concluded 2020-2021 as WSU’s career leader for combined singles and doubles victories (197). Her total number of doubles victories (91) is a program record and for singles ranks third on the list (106).
Ates holds a degree in computer science, is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic Team selection and received the 2021 WSU President’s Award. Ates was also presented with both the 2020 and the 2021 Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s Arthur Ashe Jr. Sportsmanship & the Cissie Leary Leadership Award for the Northwest Region, making her the first player in program history to receive both awards in the same season. As a student-athlete, Ates was an active representative on the WSU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a made the WSU President’s Honor Roll.