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Michelle Dasso

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Michelle Dasso was hired as the Furman women's tennis head coach in August of 2022.

Prior to her time at Furman, Dasso served as the associate head women's coach at Duke from 2019-22, where she helped lead the Blue Devils to an ITA final national ranking of fourth in the spring of 2022. She also holds previous head coaching experience at both Campbell and Illinois.

"Furman Athletics is honored to introduce Michelle Dasso as our new head coach for women's tennis," said Furman director of athletics Jason Donnelly at the time of Dasso's hiring. "Michelle brings extensive experience and success as both a coach and a standout player and is highly regarded within the tennis community. We are excited to welcome Michelle to our Furman family and look forward to building upon the tradition of excellence that has been established for Furman women's tennis."

The Duke women's tennis team posted a 52-13 record over three seasons with Dasso as the associate head coach. The Blue Devils won the 2022 ACC tournament, reached the semifinals of last season's NCAA team tournament, and set a program record with six ITA All-Americans in 2021.

Prior to her time at Duke, Dasso served as the head coach at Campbell during the 2018-2019 season, where she led the Camels to the semifinals of the Big South tournament and coached two first team all-conference selections. The team was also successful in the classroom, leading all Campbell programs with a 3.68 GPA.

"I am thrilled to join the Furman family and owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to Jason Donnelly for the trust and confidence he has shown in me," said Dasso. "I'm also so thankful to Drew Ingraham and the entire search committee for their valuable time. The two previous Furman head coaches, Adam Herendeen and Debbie Southern, were simply sensational and have set the bar extremely high. I have had the privilege to meet the team already and know we will be a group of determined competitors who compete with integrity. We are looking forward to hosting the always strong Debbie Southern Fall Classic in a few weeks."

The head coach at Illinois from 2006-15, Dasso took the unranked program to its first NCAA tournament appearance in four years in just her second year on staff. Prior to her arrival, the Fighting Illini finished next to last in the Big Ten, and within three seasons of Dasso's hiring, Illinois ranked among the top three teams in the league. Her teams consistently produced All-Big Ten selections and under Dasso's direction, Illinois players earned the program's first All-America accolades in 20 years. The only women's collegiate coach to represent the International Collegiate Competition in Poitier, France, in 2008 (4th place) and 2009 (1st place), she recruited the nation's fourth-best recruiting class in 2010.

Dasso has previous experience as an assistant coach at Notre Dame, where she was honored as the 2006 ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year, and at Northwestern.

A Notre Dame tennis standout from 1998-2001, Dasso was the first four-time ITA All-American in school history after being honored as an All-American for both singles and doubles in 1999 and 2001. The 2001 ITA National Senior Player of the Year, she concluded her senior season ranked fifth nationally in singles and ninth in doubles and was accorded the 2001 Gladys Heldman Award, which is given annually to the nation's top senior based on athletic, academic, sportsmanship, and community service accomplishments, and the 2001 Francis Patrick O'Connor Award, which honors the student-athlete who best displays the true spirit of Notre Dame through contribution and inspiration to their teams.

A native of Long Grove, Ill., Dasso earned a bachelor's of business administration with an emphasis in marketing from Notre Dame in 2001. She competed as a professional on the WTA Tour from 2001-2003, where she won tournaments in Harrisonburg, Va., and Raleigh, N.C., and was a finalist in El Paso, Texas, and Greenville, S.C.

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