Trinity women’s tennis is a storied program with a legacy of excellence. As a former Division I team, three-time reigning SCAC champion and winner of 26 out of 32 full SCAC women’s tennis seasons, success is nothing new for this team.
Winning has become so routine that it often takes something extraordinary for a season to stand out. But as the 2025 campaign unfolds and the No. 10 Tigers command national attention, this year is beginning to feel like something special is taking shape.
Trinity entered the 2024-2025 season ranked No. 14 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association but have meticulously climbed the rankings to reach No. 10. As the national spotlight continues to grow brighter, the Tigers themselves strongly emphasized what has made this season so remarkable.
“We have a nice combination of veteran leadership and new energy in the program,” head coach Andrew Cohn said. “This year’s team chemistry is off the charts. Our talent is probably the best it’s been while I’ve been here.”
Senior captain Ruth Hill focused on that new energy as a reason for success. She said that the new young talent has been extremely beneficial for the program.
“Our new class of first-years has brought a new perspective,” Hill said. “When you have a bunch of new people, it mixes things up, and I think it brings a little bit more life into the team. These new freshmen are all so funny and such a great addition to the team.”
First-years aren’t the only new faces making a difference for Trinity tennis this season, though. Hill’s roommate and fellow captain, senior psychology major Olivia Kim, explained that the coaching staff also received a renewed look.
“Annie Wise, our old assistant coach, is doing pilot school for a year, so we welcomed a new assistant coach [Olivia Battye],” Kim said. “Her coaching style is a bit different than our old coach’s was, and it’s kind of like a breath of fresh air. The team has responded very well to her coaching and what she brings to the team.”
Kim also mentioned how the team spent a lot of time working with someone who isn’t on the coaching staff, sports psychologist Blakely Low-Scott. Kim explained how the on-campus sports psychologists have been meeting with the team biweekly during the season to help the Tigers be at their mental best week in and week out.
Cohn, Hill and Kim all indicated, chemistry within the program is at an all-time high. Kim specifically said that Hill, herself and her fellow captain — junior Trinity Levy — had been talking for years about how they would lead the program. Now with the reins in their hands, their plans seem to be coming to fruition.
“One thing we do is we meet as a team without the coaches before sports,” Kim said. “With our matches being more frequent the past month, we’ve been meeting more frequently. It’s really just an open space for people to talk about how they’re feeling, if there’s things that we as captains can do differently, if there’s things that they want us to bring up to coach or honestly, it’s just a space for people to just rant.”
The difficulty of Trinity’s schedule has remained constant through the changes to the program. According to Cohn, this was an intentional decision.
“One of our goals is to play the toughest schedule possible,” Cohn said. “We always talk about our process and how we’re trying to get toward May. Seeing the best teams in the country allows us not only to measure ourselves currently, but also where we’re trying to aspire to be. Some of those teams have taught us a lot.”
To Cohn’s point, the pivotal moment in defining the Tigers’ identity this year came from a match against a top-ranked opponent, Johns Hopkins University. Both Kim and Hill highlighted the importance of this year’s matches against Johns Hopkins, who were ranked No. 7 when they faced Trinity.
“We had just taken a tough loss against [Washington and Lee University], and then we played Johns Hopkins, and got swept in doubles,” Hill said. “After doubles, we were feeling nervous, but we all came out and took care of business in singles. One of our freshmen and our junior captain Levy were the last two matches. They were both down significantly and both made incredible comebacks. It set the standard for us that no match is ever truly lost. That sums up our season: We’re always willing to fight no matter what.”
The Tigers have continued to fight all season. While their ruthless season has seen them face nine ranked teams — from No. 33 to No. 1 — they have an astounding 16-3 record with only one road loss all year. In fact, on April 18, Trinity takes on No. 14 Washington University in St. Louis.
“We’ve seen the best teams in the country,” Cohn said. “When we’re playing our best tennis, our ceiling is as good as anyone. That’s the exciting part. I don’t think there is a cap on how good we could be. It’s just a matter of, right place, right day and making it happen.”
With the SCAC championships just around the corner at the end of the month, and later the national tournament, it’s time to put Cohn’s confidence to the test. Only time will tell how far this team will go with its renewed sense of cohesion, but this team unquestionably has a lot of fight in them.
