By Jim Fenton

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- She was a three-sport athlete at Mount Everett Regional High in Sheffield, Mass., competing in soccer, basketball and tennis.

As Madeline Von Ruden (Ashley Falls, Mass.) prepared to move from western Massachusetts to Bridgewater State University in 2021, she was undecided about which of those sports she'd pursue in college.

"I was debating whether I wanted to play soccer, basketball or tennis," said Von Ruden. "(Women's tennis) Coach (David Purpura) called me in April and asked if I was interested in playing tennis in the fall.

"I was thinking about it, but I wasn't planning on it at the time. Since he called, I thought about it and decided to go out for the team. When he called, it kind of helped with my decision."

So Von Ruden left soccer and basketball behind and turned all of her attention to tennis at BSU.

The move has worked out just fine for her and the Bears' tennis team.

Von Ruden, who just started her senior year, has earned All-Little East Conference honors in singles and doubles as a freshman, sophomore and junior. And she is the only BSU women's tennis player to earn Little East Rookie of the Year honors.

The business marketing major has accomplished that while playing No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles throughout her career. She was a first-team All-Little East pick in singles in 2021 and has been chosen to the all-conference second team in singles in 2022 and 2023 and in doubles three years in a row.

"Probably soccer was my favorite sport," said Von Ruden of her high school days. "I missed it a lot, for sure, but I'm fine now. I play tennis more."

Purpura was impressed with Von Ruden's game during practices in 2021 and slotted the first-year player at No. 1 right away.

She responded by going 4-3 against the best competition in the Little East, 7-7 overall, and was 4-3 in doubles and 8-7 overall to get the nod as the top rookie in the conference.

"When we first met Madi, she was coming from a high school that wasn't a notoriously strong program," said Purpura. "But we knew she was a multi-sport athlete. When she came into our program, we had no expectations, other than we thought she was a raw athlete that we would work with.

"I remember watching her battle it out during her (preseason) matches freshman year and thinking that we just got an awesome player and I don't know what her ceiling is. She was strong and piecing things together."

In her collegiate debut on Sept. 3, 2021, Von Ruden was paired against Regis College's No. 1, Katelyn Mogelnicki and produced a hard-fought 4-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory that gave BSU a 5-4 win.

"I'll never forget her first match," said Purpura. "We thought this was a freshman who is going to grow into the role. The very first match of her college career, she played a veteran No. 1. That match defines what we would get to know about Madi.

"She struggled in the first set, but she battled, using her athleticism. The second set, she worked through a long grueling set and then won it in the third. We knew we had a special kind of athlete who would give us gutsy performances week in, week out.

"She has improved a ton as a tennis player even as she has battled injuries. Madi is a one of a kind athlete and you're going to get a fight. She's going to work hard for a couple of hours. We've seen her grow every single year and I have high expectations for her this year."

Von Ruden didn't set lofty goals that freshman season, but as the year went on, she kept getting better and better.

"I definitely didn't expect my freshman year outcome at all," said Von Ruden. "I expected to join the team but I had no clue where I'd wind up in the lineup. I went in with no expectations. I just wanted to improve.

"In the first couple of weeks, Coach talked to me about being higher up in the lineup and what my responsibilities would be as a freshman that high up in the lineup. I thought I was ready for it."

Von Ruden was 6-6 overall and 3-3 in the conference at No. 1 singles and 7-6 and 5-2 in doubles in the LEC as a sophomore.

Following a year when she was the conference's top rookie, Von Ruden wanted more that second season.

"Sophomore year was a little more difficult," she said." After being the rookie of the year, that was always in the back of my mind, living up to that. Everyone was expecting something out of me. It made it worse for me, got in my head a little bit. I had to remember I was there to have fun and do my thing."

Von Ruden was still productive as a sophomore and went 4-4 in both singles and doubles as a junior in the Little East. She has dealt with nagging elbow and wrist injuries at various points in her BSU career.

This season, Van Ruden was named the conference's player of the week for the fourth time in her career after winning in singles, 6-4, 6-2, and doubles with Mackenzie Silveira, 8-6, in the opener at the University of Saint Joseph.

"I've come pretty far," said Von Ruden, whose team opens the Little East schedule Saturday at Rhode Island College. "I've learned so much from the coaches and the other teammates and I'm really glad to start this season.

"I know what I want. I know I just have to relax and keep an open mind. I'm excited to see what this year brings."

Von Ruden began playing tennis at the age of six with the help of her grandfather and mother, who were players.

She also works summers giving tennis lessons at the Wyantenuck Country Club in Great Barrington, Mass.

Von Ruden will go down as a rare BSU player who was in the No. 1 singles and doubles slots all four seasons in her career with multiple All-Little East honors.

"It's pretty satisfying," said Von Ruden. "It's definitely rewarding to accomplish that. We're hoping for a championship and I have a lot of confidence this team can do it."

Said Purpura: "It really is a unique situation that you'd have someone play all four years at No. 1 without someone seriously pushing for that position. Madi has a firm lock on that position.

"She's in great shape. She's healthy and we hope we get the best version of her we've ever had. There's a few players in the running for player of the year in the Little East, she'll be on that short list."