The 2016 Penn Charter varsity tennis team - Inter-Ac League champions and undefeated overall.

by Tom Utescher

After a 2015 tennis season in which pair of 3-4 losses to Episcopal Academy and Baldwin School were the only blemishes on their Inter-Ac League record, the returning racquetwomen of Penn Charter felt they had unfinished business to take care of as the 2016 campaign began.

"This year," longtime Quakers coach Rose Weintstein related, "the girls said we're going to go back and win this thing, and we did."

They started out by besting longtime league power and defending champ Episcopal on the road, 4-3, then later rolled past Baldwin, 5-2 on the way to an undefeated record in the Inter-Ac that earned them the league championship. The Quakers also won all of their non-league encounters, starting by defeating Shipley School and a strong Suburban One League squad, Wissahickon High School, and then dispatching Friends Schools League champion Friends Central, 6-1, late in the season.

Only the annual ceremonial PC-GA Day match remains to be played against the Germantown Academy; Charter already won its official league contest with the Patriots, 7-0.

In addition to the team matches, the Quakers collected the most wins of any school at the Inter-Ac's individual championships last month, making the semifinals in all seven flights.

Sophomore Brinlea LaBarge and her senior sister, Schuyler, were the champions at first and second singles, respectively. In addition, there were first-place finishes for senior Jennie Reisman and freshman J.J. Birnie at second doubles and for senior Olivia Brody-Bizar and junior Meredith Bernstein at third doubles.

Sophomore Leila Sor was runner-up at third singles, and senior Natalie Williams and junior Chloe Masters placed third at first doubles.

There was also a third-place outcome for the Quakers at fourth doubles, where junior Lizzie Drebin was a constant all season and partnered with either classmate Gwen Davis or senior Hunter Smith.

In September, the Quakers had a tall order at the top of the Inter-Ac menu, going on the road to face always-formidable Episcopal.

PC senior Schuyler LaBarge excelled at singles throughout the season, along with her younger sister Brinlea and another sophomore, Leila Sor. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

"It was a tough match to start the league with, and the girls were a little nervous going into it," Weinstein said. "We got better in every match after that."

The final score at EA was close, but Penn Charter won the first four matches to be completed, clinching the team victory relatively quickly. The Quakers won all the singles bouts and the fourth doubles flight, then the Churchwomen prevailed in the other three doubles matches, with two of them going to a third set.

There would be no stopping Charter after that, with the Quakers' closest scores coming in 5-2 wins over Baldwin and Academy of Notre Dame.

"Everybody on the team got along without any problems," noted Weinstein. "They all just went out and contributed to winning."