BY JEREMY GOODE

(Videos by Jeremy Goode)

NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA--For Whitaker Powell, it is not the wins that define a successful Episcopal Academy girls’ tennis season. But that would be a good measuring stick for this powerhouse.

As head coach at Episcopal, Powell has won eight Inter-Ac championships in a row, and two PAISAA state championships going into the 2025 PAISAA championship against Penn Charter on Mon., Nov. 11.

Make it a three-peat, as Episcopal beat William Penn Charter 7-0 in a 3-4 format on their own courts to secure their third state championship in as many years. The state tournament for girl’s tennis was established three years ago, so their win in cold weather continues the trend of being the only school with a PAISAA championship.

“No one believes me when I say this, but I don’t measure success by winning and losing. Never have,” Powell said. “Success is based on improving every day. Measuring success is seeing their faces today and seeing how much joy they had competing and cheering for each other.”

Don’t get Powell wrong.

“Winnings things is fun, no one is going to say it’s not, but that’s never what I measure success in.”

So, consider this team a success in more than one way. Because as matches finish, the team gravitates around the fence of their teammates who are still playing, as they root them on. Of course, those players had already taken care of business in their own match, but now it is their turn to support their teammates to get to the finish line.

It works hand in hand. Their teammates are inspired to get to the finish line, earning their own win that adds on to the rest of the team’s results. Eventually, each win adds up to an overall team win.

In the Inter-Ac, you need to win four of the seven matches to win the match outright. Episcopal usually found themselves taking all seven matches. Powell attributes that to the depth of his lineup.

But it also helps that while this particular Episcopal team was on the younger side, they had two co-captains who helped continue the team’s tradition of trophy hunting.

Avery Morris and Nora Bailer had a lot of pressure going into this season as co-captains. They did not want to be the senior class and team leaders who failed to continue Episcopal’s winning and title streak. And with a young roster, they would be tested in new ways.

“This is the youngest team I’ve ever played on in my four years, so being able to lead them has been my favorite part,” Morris said. “Letting them know how practice is going to run, when to be here on time… just getting them ready for their next four years.”

For Bailer, team chemistry was important to establish from the start, and she and Morris were able to put things in place to build the team up.

“We worked on getting to know each other; doing a lot of team events,” Bailer said. “The conditioning we did the first week was pretty tough, so getting each other through was really  helpful to create bonds that we have carried throughout this entire season.”

In terms of the championship, Episcopal handled Penn Charter like they did all of their opponents. Second and third singles players Gwen Morris and Rebecca Xu earned straight set wins against Penn Charter’s Payton Small and Avery Morris. Second doubles Olivia Olson and Elsa Holleran earned a straight set victory, as well as third doubles Natalie Jiang and Sam Cellucci.

Episcopal’s first singles Avery Morris, first doubles Sophie Liu and Kayla Krasnick and fourth doubles Bailer and Eliza Cahill needed a third set.

It was rare to be playing outdoor tennis this late into the season, which might have caused some of the matches to run longer. It was 46 degrees, but it felt like 33 with a good bit of wind.

“Everything was changing. The wind was changing, she [Vail] was changing as she was playing,” Avery Morris said. “She played great, so it was just a lot of adjusting.”

She adjusted as a leader to a younger team this year, and she adjusted on the court in inclement weather.

And Avery Morris and Bailer had prepared their team since August for cold weather moments like this.

“I think everyone had their own challenges with the weather, either being cold, the wind,” Bailer said. “So, everybody individually was working around it. It was great to see.”

This is what Powell was talking about in terms of success.

The team got better as the match went on, they persevered through the cold and windy afternoon and earned a hard-fought win against a Penn Charter team that fought until the end.

“At the end of every practice, the last thing I say to them is ‘be better tomorrow than you were today,’” Powell said. “And if you do that, with talent, and have the right mindset, the right attitude, things tend to work themselves out.”

They’ve been working things out with the PAISAA championship title at Episcopal for three straight years now. 

EA 7

PC 0

1. Avery Morris d. Olivia Vail 6-1, 4-6, 6-3

2. Gwen Morris d. Payton Small 6-2 6-1

3. Rebecca Xu d. Avery Morris 6-1 6-0

1. Sophie Liu/Kayla Krasnick d. Layla Joshi/Jordan Simon 6-2, 4-6, 6-2

2. Olivia Olson/Elsa Holleran d. Avery Goodheart/Zso Porlock 6-1, 6-1

3. Natalie Jiang/Sam Cellucci d. Lulu Jordan/Noa Halpern 6-2 7-6(3)

4. Nora Bailer/Eliza Cahill d. Zara Sinu/Keagan Seth 1-6, 7-6(4), 6-1