Reading High School Girls’ Tennis Team Makes History

What better way to close in on the end of the tennis season than by making program history?

Well, the girls’ tennis team at Reading High School now knows that feeling. The Red Knights defeated the three-time defending champions from Conrad Weiser, 3-2, crowning them county champions. The team proudly hoisted the BCIAA trophy over their heads for the first time in school history. 

(Reading High School is also the only school in the area sending players from 3A to the individual District Tournament: Valeria Sanchez, Ashley Retana, Hallie Guerrero and Hailey Guerrero).

In his third year as head coach, Mike Fisher (a graduate of Reading High School) is now beaming with pride and excitement at what his team accomplished. According to Fisher, the team’s hard work over the years — especially through the City of Reading (COR) Tennis program — is now showing in the results. 

“Let’s give credit where credit is due,” Fisher said. “These players are a product of COR’s school tennis program. They started in elementary school when the program first began and their success just goes to show you that the sky's the limit when you have committed leaders and athletes.” 

Reading Recreation Commission/COR Tennis is a USTA Middle States Premier Provider which provides tennis programming all around Reading. 

“This has literally been years in the making,” said Angela Jones, USTA Middle States’ Tennis Service Representative for the Eastern Pennsylvania District. “They are a great example of how a feeder program can breed success.”

The pride that each member of the team has in themselves, and each other, is a driving force for this close-knit group. Much of the team identifies as Latinx and look at one another almost like family. In some cases, they even are family. Hallie and Hailey Guerrero are sisters (twin sisters), Ashley and Kaitlyn Retana are sisters, and the Guerrero and Retana sisters are cousins. In more ways than one, this team shares an incredible bond. 

“If you weren’t from here you might not believe that tennis is an important part of the Reading community, but it is,” Jones said. “Much of that is thanks to these women from Reading High School and the Reading Recreation Commission.”

The team heads to Hershey, Pa. to compete against Hershey High School in the first round of the District Team Competition. You can follow the team on the school’s athletic Facebook Page.