SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: SOPHIE LUESCHER
April 19, 2025 | Women's Tennis
Sophie Luescher joined the Husky family for her final college season after three years at Oregon.
At Washington her senior season, she dominated on the courts, playing at No. 2 doubles with Erika Matsuda for a majority of the season, while also picking up double-digit wins at No. 5 singles.
The UW athletic department sat down with Luescher ahead of the final college matches to reflect back on her time as a Husky, plans for after college, and some of the best memories of her career.
Head Coach Robin Stephenson on the senior class:
"Soph and Kenny have come into our program and made an incredible impact in such a short time. They both prove that it's not always about the length of time you put into something that makes the biggest impact, but it's the amount of yourself that you give each and every day and what you pour into the people around you. I am a firm believer that what you put in, is what you will get out, and I know that they have both poured their heart and soul into what we are doing everyday. This program is better because of Soph and Kenny, and their impact will be long remembered.
"I am eternally grateful that they both chose to spend their senior years here at UW, and we are so fortunate to have had this time together. It has been the ultimate privilege to coach them in their final year of college tennis. They have pushed the program to new heights, they have led by example, created countless moments and memories, built relationships that will last a lifetime, have been so incredibly consistent in their practices and the day to day, they have continued to bring in the results for the team on match days, they have excelled in the classroom, have brought incredible energy, so much experience, they've brought vulnerability and openness, and have brought so much laughter and joy to every situation.
"We are going to miss them both so much, but for now we will enjoy the rest of this ride we are on together and finish the season strong. Soph and Kenny are incredibly special individuals and I can't wait to see what they both go on and do in their next chapters. Saying I am proud of them both for so many things is an understatement. I hope they know they will always have a home here in Seattle with us!"
Why UW? What brought you here for your last season?
"There were a lot of reasons at first that made it attractive and I thought about coming here. Really the decision came when I got here on a visit, where I just thought this is going to be a place where I will be happy and have such a great team around me. The environment and the work ethic, but also having fun doing it."
What do you like most about being a Husky and about being at the University of Washington?
"Campus is really pretty, especially right now. The cherry blossoms that just were blooming, seeing the mountains all the time. It's so refreshing.
In the bubble that I'm in with the team, we have so much fun. It's a great environment to be in – kind of what I was hoping for when I made the decision and I was right. It's all I was hoping for."
What are you majoring in and how do you plan on using that degree once you graduate?
"I'm majoring in International Studies. I don't know exactly yet where I want to get in to work. Most likely something along the lines of international peacemaking and negotiations."
How did you get to that point? Have you always wanted to do something with that?
"I did business for three years at Oregon and then transferred here. I always love traveling, I always love different cultures and diplomacy has been of my interest.
It's just something that I feel like I started looking more into when I didn't just follow the business path."
What is the team culture like?
"I think we do a really good job of showing up for each other and being united. It's really those little moments of finding joy and making jokes and having fun, even when it's hard. Sometimes days can get long – practices in preseason and fall are hard. Travel trips are long, especially now in the Big Ten.
I think it's in those moments where it makes such a big difference when you can just be in this together and find a way to laugh about it."
Calm. Driven. Fighter.
— Washington Women's Tennis (@UW_WTennis) April 19, 2025
A relaxed force, both on and off the court. We ?? you, Sophie Luescher! #BetterTogether pic.twitter.com/abgF0Wz9h8
Does the team have a tradition this season that stands out?
"Playing frisbee as a warm-up before matches. I think it kind of established itself especially because we've realized as a team, we show up at our best and play the best when we are finding joy and being somewhat loose within being competitive. I think that just kind of sets the tone for us at the beginning of match day."
Have you done that since the beginning of the season?
"Pretty much. It wasn't a full team thing all the time. Some people were playing, other people were dancing or doing stuff – now it's become kind of a tradition – we've even done it the past two days in practice. The frisbee always comes with us."
What's it been like playing for Robin this season?
"It's not just Robin. Dani, Jenn, and Robin – the three of them are doing such a good job. They all care deeply about us as people and the success of the team and every single player. They are doing a good job communicating to us the high standards they're holding. We know what is expected, but at the same time, there is such an emphasis on just building for the next month, for the future.
I think it can be a fine balance to hold up those high standards, which are important for our success and development, but also always being there as a person we can go talk to. They are all doing a tremendous job of finding that balance.
You can go talk to them, literally at any time, and they will be here for you as a person and not as a tennis player – I think that's really huge. It makes such a big difference."
How much did the coaching staff influence your decision to come here?
"I already knew them a little bit, especially Robin. I was in France playing a tournament and she was there with the U.S. team. I already saw multiple times how she engages with players.
I saw players having fun and I saw the coaches being included in that. They were just being one whole team doing silly things together. Knowing that that was coming from their [the coaches] side too, was definitely a big part."
Is there a moment with any of the coaches that sticks out to you this year?
"For a lot of the season, when we play matches, Jenn was on court with me and Carina, and we were calling ourselves 'the Three Musketeers.' I think we've established a good way of communicating, like a two-way street."
What has been your favorite memory in Seattle?
"That's pretty easy. I love going out into nature, and the outdoors here are incredible. Running Snow Lake is up there, cross-country skiing in Snoqualmie is definitely up there. I would say those two things."
What will you miss most about college tennis?
"There are so many little moments that I probably underestimate how much I will miss. I'm thinking of the first time we played a match in season, we went to Hawaii and we were at the beginning of the second set and it started to rain. We had a rain delay for an hour and a half or so, and we were out dancing.
I think it's those moments that when I'll play on tour later, that I'll miss, because I'll just sitting there by myself waiting, trying to make the best out of this time, but I'm not going to have that team around me.
So it's really that, much more than the privileges we have with all the resources and all of that, which I might miss to a certain extent because it's just great to have. I'm so thankful and appreciative of that, but I think it's much more the connections and the people that I'll miss."
You said you want to play pro after college; is that something you've always known you have wanted to do and what do you think that's going to look like?
"From a young age on, that was my dream. There was definitely a middle space where I wasn't sure what my future would look like after college. For most of the time I knew that's what I wanted to do.
About half of the year I'll be on the road playing tournaments, traveling, mostly by myself. Then I will go back to Switzerland, train out of there with a coach I've worked with before."
Players Mentioned
