Girls’ Tennis

MAPL CHAMPS

2010, 2017

NJ PREP CHAMPIONS

2010

Girls’ tennis has been a popular sport at Blair, and we have had much success over the past decade, including Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) and New Jersey state prep “A” championships in 2010.

Our season begins in late August with a rigorous—but fun—pre-season camp for varsity candidates, designed to improve stamina and build team unity. Regular-season practices last for approximately two hours after school and include conditioning, drills, use of a ball machine, videotaping of strokes and match play. Our practices and matches take place in Blair’s modern and well-designed tennis complex, which features nine Deco-Turf II courts. These courts have the same surface as the courts on which the U.S. Open is contested.

We play a challenging schedule of 17-20 dual matches, competing against MAPL rivals Peddie, Pennington, Hun, Lawrenceville, Hill and Mercersburg, in addition to taking on some of the toughest teams throughout the state. Our season culminates on Peddie Day when, along with all of Blair’s fall athletic teams, we vie with arch-rival Peddie for the coveted Kelley-Potter Cup.

About Coach Rice

Kendall Rice joined Blair in 2025 as an English teacher and head girls’ varsity tennis coach. Coming from Williams College, Ms. Rice has over 15 years of tennis experience, playing on the varsity team at Loomis Chaffee during her high school career. Additionally, she played on the varsity volleyball and squash teams. Ms. Rice has coached tennis at multiple summer camps for boys and girls. At Williams, she also started and ran the club soccer team, serving as president and co-captain.

Contact Coach Rice with any questions about the program by clicking here.

About Coach Cronin

Courtney Cronin came to Blair in 2022 and currently serves as Director of College Counseling and assistant girls’ varsity lacrosse and tennis coach. Prior to Blair she worked at the Thacher School in beautiful Ojai, California as the Associate Director of College Counseling and was the head girls’ varsity lacrosse coach. Before Thacher, Courtney worked for eight years as a college counselor, French teacher and girls’ lacrosse coach at Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts, where she also served as language department chair. Courtney graduated from Maine's Colby College, where she majored in French studies and history, and earned her master’s degree in independent school leadership from the Klingenstein Center at Columbia University’s Teachers College in 2017. In addition to serving as an advisor and mentor to students at Thacher, she also co-led adult and student anti-ractist groups and ally spaces. At Lawrence, Courtney also served as dorm head, chaperoned “Winterim” trips to Belize, Peru and Ecuador, and chaired the Professional Development Committee. She currently serves on the Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools (ACCIS) Data, Trends, and Analytics Committee. She lives on campus with her dog, Coach, a large, lovable goofball of a Sheepadoodle.

View directions to athletic events. To read recaps about past events, go to the "Team News" tab above.

View more photos from the most recent season here.

The JV girls’ tennis team practices for 90 minutes after school and workouts include conditioning, drills, use of a ball machine and match play. Our practices and matches take place in Blair’s modern and well-designed tennis complex, which features nine Deco-Turf II courts.

We play a challenging schedule of approximately 15 dual matches, competing against Mid-Atlantic Prep League (MAPL) rivals Peddie, Hun, Lawrenceville, Hill and Mercersburg, in addition to taking on local public schools and independent schools, including Newark Academy and Princeton Day School. Our season culminates on Peddie Day when, along with all of Blair’s fall athletic teams, we vie with arch-rival Peddie for the coveted Kelley-Potter Cup.

About Coach Sykes

Head coach Kate Sykes, appointed in 2003, serves as chair of the fine arts department. Kate teaches all levels of ceramics, sculpture and graphic arts and prepares students each year for the studio art advanced placement exam in both two- and three-dimensional design. In addition to her responsibilities in the fine arts department, Kate has served as housemaster of Locke Hall and spends her afternoons as head coach of the JV girls’ tennis team. Prior to teaching at Blair, Kate earned her BS in art education from the Pennsylvania State University and taught for two years in public school. In 2008, Kate earned her master's in studio art from New York University. She currently lives in Rea House with her husband, Andrew, who is a member of Blair's history department faculty. They have a daughter, Lyla, and son, Oliver.

View directions to athletic events.

View more photos from the most recent season here.