WARREN, Mich. – De La Salle Collegiate announced today the hiring of Matt Fisher as head tennis coach.  
 
Fisher, who has served as the head tennis professional at Peachtree Tennis Club in Clinton Township since 2008, is no stranger to high school tennis, but never planned to be a high school coach.
 
"It was never my intention to coach high school tennis," Fisher said. "Because of my work at the club, it proved too difficult. De La Salle is a special opportunity, however."
 
Fisher resides in Harrison Township and is a 2005 Utica Eisenhower graduate where he played four years of varsity tennis under head coach Chris Layson. As captain of the Eagles team, Fisher earned Macomb Area Conference (MAC) Red Division honors. He was also named all-Macomb County Dream Team by the Macomb Daily and earned MHSTeCA all-state honorable mention status as a senior.
 
Wayne State University was where Fisher began and finished his collegiate tennis career, but it wasn't the conventional path.
 
As a freshman, Fisher played #4 singles and #2 doubles for the Warriors and made an immediate impact with a three-match singles winning streak and a 2-1 record with his doubles partner at the 2006 Great Lake Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament.
 
After his first year, however, Fisher left WSU and completed a bachelor of business administration degree at Walsh College. While a student at Walsh, Fisher jumped at the chance to join his youth and former college head coach, Bryan Morrow, as a member of the Peachtree Tennis instructional staff. Since becoming the head professional at the club in 2008, Fisher has grown the club's offerings and teaching staff to four. Under Fisher's oversight, Peachtree offers improved tennis and pickleball leagues, junior and senior tennis instruction and even yoga classes.
 
It was in 2010 that Fisher decided to return to Wayne State University as a graduate transfer to the tennis program and pursue a master of business administration degree with an accounting focus. In his return to the Warriors program Fisher earned Coach's Honor Roll status over three terms with a 3.34 GPA. In 2010-11, Fisher posted a #6 singles record of 5-1 and a 2-1 GLIAC record. By the 2011-12 season, Fisher was named to the GLIAC All-Academic Team and was selected as a captain. He once again played #6 singles with a 2-1 record and entered a combined 9-8 record at the second and third doubles flights.

Fisher continues to play competitive in USTA events and is seeking a 5.0 rating, but teaching others remains his primary goal, "Tennis has always played a significant role in my life. My desire is to share my passion and understanding of the game with the players at De La Salle.  I definitely want to help them mature into better players, but also eventually into men of the finest possible character," Fisher said.
 
"I am extremely pleased to welcome Matt Fisher to our outstanding coaching staff. Not only does he offer immediate credibility with our student-athletes based on his athletic success, but he demonstrates over a decade of effectiveness as a tennis teaching professional," stated DLS athletic director Mike Watson. "Matt inherits a program that has earned back-to-back Macomb County Team of the Year accolades and is coming off an appearance at MHSAA Finals. I am confident that Matt can build on that success."
 
The Pilots tennis program begin their season August 8 with competition beginning August 20 as the Pilots host Port Huron in a Scrimmage at MCC South Campus courts.