Growing up, Savannah Dada-Mascoll succeeded in an extensive array of athletics in her hometown of Yorkshire, England, but her heart ultimately landed on tennis. Her mental toughness, hard work, faith and leadership have led her to become the winningest player in App State women’s tennis history by her junior year.
“She used to do dance, tap and ballet. She wasn’t good at ballet, like me, not good, but she was very good at tap dancing,” said Savannah Dada-Mascoll’s mother, Caroline Dada-Mascoll. Savannah Dada-Mascoll also smashed multiple school records for track and excelled in popular English sports such as netball and rounders.
Savannah Dada-Mascoll decided to start playing tennis at school and for her local tennis club at age nine after a teacher told her she had good hand-eye-coordination. The results spoke for themselves.
After a straight-set victory against Troy on Friday in the Sun Belt Tournament quarterfinals, Savannah Dada-Mascoll finished her season with 10 consecutive singles victories and a record of 18-2 in the spring season.
“A goal of mine for this semester was to outwork all of my opponents,” Savannah Dada-Mascoll said. “Every single time I step onto the match court I know that they haven’t worked harder than me.”
On Sunday April 8, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association ranked App State No. 74 in the nation, the teams first national ranking in program history. The next day Savannah Dada-Mascoll won Sun Belt Player of the Week.
After finishing the regular season ranked No. 2 in conference, the Mountaineers unfortunately fell 4-3 in their quarterfinal match against Troy.
Savannah Dada-Mascoll has played alongside sophomore Taya Powell for the second half of the spring season after her former doubles partner, junior Isabela Romanichen, was taken out of the lineup due to a torn ACL. Savannah Dada-Mascoll and Powell have gone 6-2 as a duo in completed matches.
In the fall, Savannah Dada-Mascoll and Romanichen reached the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first doubles pair in school history to accomplish this feat.
“She’s like a firecracker, they both are really. I feel like I’ve been partnered with the most lively people on the team, which is good for me. It gives me energy,” Savannah Dada-Mascoll said.
The on-court chemistry between Savannah Dada-Mascoll and her teammates is clear, but the off-court friendships are there as well. Having six of the nine rostered players be international athletes has only made the camaraderie stronger.
“It’s also fun because you get to learn about different people’s cultures and everything,” Savannah Dada-Mascoll said. “We got Australians, Brazilians, African, Irish, like it’s a lot of fun, a lot of different accents.”
(Simon Jarman)
After making the decision to accept the scholarship and come to App State, Savannah Dada-Mascoll has spent the last three school years with the majority of her family still living in England.
“In this last year, she’s really blossomed, she seems so much happier in herself,” Caroline Dada-Mascoll said. “I feel happy because I know she’s got the lord in her heart, and whatever she does, she’s going to be a bright star.”
Savannah Dada-Mascoll is a member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and her faith has played a pivotal role in her composure on and off the court.
“A mentor once told me ‘just remember every mistake that you make has already been nailed to the cross’ and so that’s something that I always really hold onto,” Savannah Dada-Mascoll said.
Savannah Dada-Mascoll’s charismatic personality off court and poised, yet tenacious play on court continues to impress people in all aspects of her life.
“Sav is just an amazing person and leader and we’re super grateful to have her on this team,” Hannah Fetters said.
Savannah Dada-Mascoll would love to fulfill her dream and eventually play in the tennis circuit, but currently her eyes are set on more success in her senior season at App State.
