HALL OF FAME FEATURE: Maaret Voutilainen Viskari '97

It’s been 25 years since Maaret Voutilainen Viskari ’97 set foot on the Averett University tennis courts as a student-athlete. Although the details of the sets and victories have faded, the connections and relationships she formed during her time at Averett have made a lasting impact in her.

“It was nice to be a part of a team because tennis is an individual sport in Finland and you don’t belong to a team, you just play for yourself,” Viskari said. “It was nice to have a team experience for the first time when I first arrived at Averett.”

She doesn’t remember much about the on-the-court moments but the things that stick out the most to her about her collegiate career are her teammates, coaches and friends that she met during her three years at Averett. 

“People have been telling me that I had quite the career and did all of these things but I remember the team,” Viskari said. “I think the other stuff like being with the team and being a part of the team is much more memorable than the wins and trophies.”

Viskari, who will be inducted as part of the 2023 Averett Athletics Hall of Fame Class during Homecoming on Oct. 14, was one of Averett’s “first elite female players,” according to former head coach Bobby Shields. 

“She came in as a freshman and won the conference in her first year at No. 1 singles,” Shields said. “That’s a very difficult thing to do. … She had a tremendous impact on our program during that time.”

Relationships were a huge part of what helped Viskari become so successful. She only knew one person when she started at Averett — that one person ended up being her future husband Pertti Viskari, who was an All-American member of the men’s tennis team in 1996. 

In her junior year, Viskari met her doubles partner that she would have for the rest of her career, fellow Hall of Fame member Elena Tolppa. The pair would go on to win the USA South in back-to-back years. The two remain very close to this day and their families visit each other at least twice a year, Viskari said. 

One of her fondest memories with the team was traveling — in particular, a spring break trip the women took to Hilton Head, South Carolina, where the team competed in a tournament for the week. Viskari said she loved that tournament because they got to play tennis all day and hangout as a team for the week.

Viskari had one of the most successful careers in program history. She became Averett’s first-ever conference tournament champion at No. 1 singles, winning in 1995 and 1996 while also winning the No. 2 singles title in 1997. She was also a First Team All-Conference selection all three years of her career.

“One thing as a coach that I loved is that she set the bar really high for our team, and because of that we were better,” Shields said.

Viskari finished her time at Averett with a career record of 34-20 in singles play and a career record of 44-13 in doubles and helped lead the Cougars to a conference title for three straight years. Viskari’s athletic success didn’t stop at tennis as she also was a member of the women’s cross country team, where she earned USA South All-Conference Second Team honors with her eighth-place finish at the conference championship in 1996. 

“One thing I remember the most about Maaret is that she was so coachable,” Shields said. “Whatever you told her to do, she just did it. She was a real joy to coach. She always wanted to soak up and absorb whatever coaching you would give her to become even better.”

Former women’s tennis coach Barbara Kushubar echoed Shields’ sentiments. 

“Maaret was a phenomenal tennis player,” Kushubar said. “She worked hard to get better every day and wanted the team to get better every day and that’s one of the reasons she was so successful.” 

Viskari’s academic success was just as impressive as her athletic record as she graduated from Averett in just three years and went on to receive her graduate degree from Wake Forest University. 

Today, she helps university students find their career path back home in Finland at Hame University of Applied Sciences, where she serves as the director Hame Global Education activities. She says her time at Averett helped build her confidence and resilience that has helped propel her career. 

Viskari is still active on the court as well. In addition to playing, she serves as a chair on the board of her local tennis club in Hame. 

“I felt like I wanted to contribute to something that helped me greatly in life,” Viskari said. “Because without tennis I wouldn’t have been at Averett to begin with … so I thought would donate my time to help develop tennis Hame and make sure that other children and youth can experience tennis like I did.”