St. Paul VI Catholic High School

When many think of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC), sports that come to mind are usually basketball or football. However, recently, tennis has shed a little more light. This year, three teams headlined the WCAC Championship for tennis: DeMatha, Bishop Ireton, and Paul IV. Within the past three seasons, DeMatha has secured two WCAC championships, falling short in 2024. DeMatha head coach Mark Dalzell began coaching within the program around 2012, alongside coaching their sister school, Elizabeth Seton. “When I started, we were just trying to get kids interested in high school tennis,” he stated. “Most were focused on junior tournaments.” Dalzell became the head coach of the program in 2019, and during his tenure, he has helped elevate the tennis program. Within the past three seasons, DeMatha has captured its 11th and 12th WCAC titles in the sport of tennis. The year that DeMatha fell short, 2024, is when Bishop Ireton took home the championship, beating DeMatha by 13 points. This season, the Cardinals finished second within the WCAC standings. In the 2025 WCAC Championship, DeMatha won three of six singles matches and two of three doubles matches, totaling 36 points. Paul VI came in second with 23 points. This season, the Panthers fell to both Bishop Ireton and DeMatha in the regular season, before facing them in the WCAC championship. Paul VI placed third within the WCAC standings and second within the WCAC Championship. As these schools continue to expand their programs, some are realizing that the sport of tennis is often overlooked. When asked how tennis can get more recognition across the country, Dalzell stated, “They need to have more national tournaments, or as an individual representing the schools.”