Varsity Tennis Defeats Sidwell after a Five-Year Drought

On September 29th, varsity tennis clinched its first win over Sidwell Friends in five years.

This match would be the first meeting between the two teams since Holton lost to Sidwell in the ISL Semifinals last year. Senior captain Sloan Quint said, “We weren’t trying to put too much pressure on ourselves to win, and we all tried to go into the match with a positive mindset.”

Holton ended up defeating Sidwell in a close competition: four matches to three. Isabella Diaz ’28 played in the tiebreaking match, and she described her victory as “very rewarding.” She recalled, “I had gotten off to a difficult start, and when I spoke to my coach during the changeover, he told me that we were tied overall and that my match was the deciding one. I was down 6-9, two match points, but I realized how much was riding on this and knew I couldn’t give up, not just for myself but for my teammates and coaches.”

Diaz certainly felt under pressure, and it took her “a lot of mental strength to stay focused and block out the distractions.” But soon, she “had gained the momentum back, and hearing everyone cheer [her] name gave [her] the extra boost [she] needed.” Diaz ultimately came back from behind to win the match, 11-10.

Quint commented on Diaz’s success so far this season: “She puts in a lot of hard work, and she consistently performs in every match. We are very proud of her.”

Lilly Kerpen ’29 recalled of the excitement after the win, saying, “It was so great to see the whole team come together for such a big moment. It was so amazing when Isa won her match after saving two match points, getting us the win over Sidwell!”

Since its victory against Sidwell, varsity tennis has continued the momentum in matches against Stone Ridge, Holy Child and Georgetown Visitation. ISL playoffs begin on October 29th, and a rematch against Sidwell is highly likely.

Quint said she feels confident heading into playoffs. She remarked that the win against Sidwell “really shows how hard the team has worked this year and how much we believe in ourselves. The best part of our victory is how it shows we are capable of such

good things this year.”