In recognition of her tireless efforts, USTA Southern California has named Cherise Dadian Meoli, of San Diego County, its Tournament Director of the Month. Meoli, who primarily runs tournaments involving children, has displayed leadership, kindness, and professionalism throughout her daily duties on and off the court.

Growing up in a tennis-filled household, Cherise began playing at a very young age. With a parent and two siblings who were avid players, the game came naturally to her. “My father started my sister and me in the sport when we were seven and eight years old,” shared Cherise. “Both my parents were school teachers, and my father taught for the Torrance Recreation Department. My sister and I would go with him to all of his adult classes, and we started playing tennis that way. The reason I ever had success in tennis is because of my loving and devoted parents.”

Through the guidance of her parents and coaches, Cherise had a very successful playing career in both high school and college. In high school, Meoli was a top player on a talented South High squad, leading her team to multiple CIF appearances. Not only did she compete on the girls’ team, but she also had the opportunity to play for her school’s boys’ team. This was the first instance in the school’s history that they allowed girls to compete on both teams if they were strong enough to compete. With all her success in high school, Meoli then committed to play Division I tennis in college, less than half an hour away from her home in Torrance. “I played at Cal State Long Beach for three years and then ended up going down to San Diego State because I got married,” Cherise mentioned. “I loved playing in college and traveling to all of these schools. It was a great experience.”

One of three siblings that would end up playing at the highest collegiate level, the Meoli household had tennis running through their blood. “My brother received a full ride to play at the University of San Diego and my sister went on to play at Cal State Long Beach as well. We definitely were and still are a tennis family,” stated Cherise. Recognized for all of their contributions to the community, the Onnig Dadian family was awarded Southern California Family of the Year in 2011.

Now, Cherise has a tennis family of her own. The mother of three boys, Luke, Mark and James, Cherise has been able to impart her knowledge of the game onto her children and has even had the opportunity to compete and work alongside them. Just a few years ago, Meoli competed at the Mother/Son Harcourt Nationals in San Diego alongside James, whom she also runs tournaments with. Teaming up with her sons on the court is nothing new for Cherise, as she and Luke made quite the names for themselves just over a decade ago. “My oldest son, Luke, and I were ranked number one in the nation in Mother/Son teams in 2012. We actually had the opportunity to travel to Chicago and play in the Indoor National Championship.”

The now Rancho Bernardo resident, Cherise has made a career for herself within the San Diego tennis community. Occupying roles as a coaching pro, high school coach and tournament director, Meoli has fulfilled her life through the sport she loves so much.

Currently serving as the head coach at Del Norte High School, Meoli has led the Boys and Girls’ Varsity tennis programs since 2010, just a year after the school’s inception. It was this leap into coaching that pushed Meoli into running tournaments. 

“I was employed at the Poway Unified School District as a high school tennis coach beginning in 2010 and began running tournaments then,” Meoli said. “I ran both novice and satellite tournaments for years until Covid hit. Because of that, I decided to take a brief break, but made my return last year. Most recently, I have been running Junior circuits and level sevens.” 

While working with children and teenagers can be challenging at times, Meoli has found that positivity and motivation go such a long way. “I give the kids goals that they can achieve and encourage them to be kind and supportive to one another,” she added. “It’s important to be a great communicator of expectations and to challenge them everyday to be a little better than the day before.”

Between running tournaments and coaching, Meoli has gone above and beyond in the promotion of sportsmanlike behavior on the court. “Sportsmanship means to me that whether someone is winning or losing, they have a great attitude,” noted Cherise. “I push for all my players to try their best again and again and remain competitive, while making fair calls and being kind.” While encouraging this display at her events, she has also highlighted the importance of keeping life in perspective while playing and coaching. “I’ve learned that true character comes out on the tennis court. I’ve found it’s important to keep things in perspective when playing and coaching. I just try to have fun and know that if these kids keep having fun, they are going to want to continue playing. 

Cherise credits the most enjoyable aspects of being a tournament director to the amazing tennis community in Southern California and being able to see the joy on children’s faces. “Running tournaments, I really love meeting all the wonderful families who play and attend the events. One of my favorite things about being a tournament director is handing out trophies and I love surprising the kids with a trophy at the end.” Advising those interested in becoming a tournament director, she encourages people to make events fun for all. 

You can still catch Cherise on the courts today as she is very active in senior tournaments. Playing in the 60’s age division, Meoli and her partner Tracy Muesing are currently ranked number four in the Nation in women’s doubles. Once partners at Nationals when they were just sixteen years old, Meoli and Muesing have known each other since their Junior tennis days. “I think it’s important for children to see that you can still play tennis at a high level even at my age. I still love the game and being able to compete.”