Credit: Courtesy of Manuela Davies

Wayland resident and senior Isabella Camacho recently joined the girls varsity tennis team. Camacho is enrolled in an online high school and played tennis for a private club prior to joining the WHS team. Next year, she will play tennis at Wesleyan University.

The crowd can hear the explosive crack of a racket meeting rubber and the whoosh of the ball flying over the net at electrifying speeds. Senior and Wayland resident Isabella Camacho, a nationally ranked 4-star tennis player, just scored her first point as a member of the WHS tennis team.

Camacho had not always been a member of the WHS squad as she is currently enrolled in a private, online school to focus on her tennis career.

“[My] biggest decision was leaving a brick [and] mortar [school] for an online environment,” Camacho said. “I sat down with my parents and talked about my goals, and with their support my tennis journey began.”

In order to play for the WHS tennis team, Camacho had to take the same school curriculum as WHS and submit her grades to Athletic Director Heath Rollins. Then, she had to be accepted into the program.

“I guess there’s two parts [to] acceptance,” Rollins said. “The school had to accept her curriculum and review her grades throughout the year. Part two was to share that information with the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) and they review it and make sure [she is eligible to play].”

Conversations about Camacho joining the team had begun in the spring of 2024 when current senior captain Olivia Todd mentioned her to the newly hired coach at the time, Jason Tassinari.

In May of 2024, Camacho went to a WHS match to watch Todd, the number one singles player at the time, play. At the match, Tassinari spotted Camacho in the crowd. After the match, Tassinari went up to Todd and asked who was watching her. Todd reminded him that it was Bella Camacho, the No. 1 ranked girls tennis player in Massachusetts. Tassinari saw the potential that she had for the team and went over to her.

“I told [Camacho] that when the season was over, I was gonna follow up with her, and then we talked a little bit about the season,” Tassinari said. “When we reconnected last summer [I] told her I wanted her to play, and if she could make it work, we’d love to have her.”

By the time she joined the team, Camacho had already built herself a reputation beyond high school tennis. According to her private coach Lawrence Perrin, she has a strong drive and good attitude.

“[When] I met Bella, she was obviously towards the top end of the group, if not the highest,” Perrin said. “She’s a really kind girl and she’s hard-working so it checks all the boxes for me when it comes to coaching or working with a player.”

Camacho’s resilience has carried her through some difficult moments on the court. At a recent level-three tournament, she advanced to the final round, but near the end of the match, her nail ripped off and began bleeding. She was unable to hold her racket correctly and play to the best of her abilities.

“When it comes to just pushing through pain or trying to fight against adversity, all those things like that [are] her number one strength,” Perrin said.

According to Perrin, what sets her apart from other players is her mindset and receptiveness to criticism.

“I like her work ethic and she’s extremely coachable,” Perrin said.

That same determination and mindset also shaped her college recruiting experience which was challenging but rewarding.

“My tennis recruiting journey was of course stressful but super exciting,” Camacho said. “I was fortunate enough to travel for national tournaments, and I felt privileged to play in front of Division I and Division III coaches. I really enjoyed meeting and talking with different coaches and touring different schools, but I knew I wanted a university that offered academic excellence and a high caliber of tennis.”

Eventually, one school, Wesleyan University, stood out above the rest. In 2024, the Wesleyan women’s tennis team finished runners-up to the University of Chicago at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Women’s Tennis Championships.

“I knew Wesleyan University was for me the moment I met my coaches, team, and the vibe of the community is one I know I will thrive in,” Camacho said.

Before Camacho takes her tennis journey to Wesleyan University, she is competing for WHS. At WHS, her commitment to excellence hasn’t gone unnoticed. Despite her non-traditional path to playing high school tennis, Camacho has become part of the core of the girls varsity tennis team. According to Tassinari, she has made a long lasting impression on others.

“She has been a tremendous addition [to the team and] her talent speaks for itself,” Tassinari said. “As great as her talent is in the sport, the only thing that surpasses that is her character and the type of kid she is. She has seamlessly fit into this team. She doesn’t want to be treated any differently than any other player. She’s a great teammate. She’s been wonderfully respectful to me and she makes our team better because I believe she’s one of, if not the best, singles players in the Dual County League.”