You could say that Newton South seniors Jillian Schwartz and Dana Holt were perfect for each other.
At least, it seemed that way whenever they took the court together as the South girls tennis team's No. 1 doubles entry. Their playing styles meshed in a way that made them one of the best duos in the state. But, perhaps more importantly, their close friendship and understanding of each other's quirks and temperament helped them get through the peaks and valleys of the season's toughest matches.
There were plenty of high points. From the State Individuals where the tandem reached the North Sectional final. To the regular season where the girls combined to help the Lions to the Dual County League championship. To their final match as they torched the top team from Lincoln-Sudbury in an attempt to emotionally lift a South squad hamstrung by an injury to its best player.
Through it all, Schwartz and Holt were the rock that anchored the Lions as they exceeded all expectations. The pair went 18-4 this spring and lost to only two different teams in the toughest league in the state.
When Schwartz got a little frazzled, she used Holt as the canvas on which to splatter her random thoughts. When Holt got aggravated with a missed shot or long hit, Schwartz was often the only one who could slice through her defensive shield.
Separately, they were two nice high school girls tennis players. Together, they transformed into the 2009 Daily News Tribune Tennis Players of the Year.
``Jilli was the steadying force,'' said South girls coach Bob Jampol. ``Dana was more emotional and got frustrated at times. But they were never out of a match even if they were a little distracted or inconsistent.
``We've had a history of very good No. 1 doubles teams here. It struck me that they could be right there. They turned out to be one of the very best.''
Jampol said he realized after last season the pair was the best chance he had at gaining a consistent point at No. 1 doubles. But first he had to convince the two players. Schwartz played doubles as a sophomore, but moved into singles play as a junior. Holt was a fringe varsity player as a junior and would be asked to take a big leap.
Schwartz said the hard sell wasn't necessary.
``I would have gone either way very easily,'' she contended. ``I had a really successful doubles season my sophomore year. I almost wanted to play doubles because if we had (first singles player) Lauren (Hollender's) position, and knew most of the time we would win there, and then could solidify first doubles, it would help the team tremendously. We would just need to find one more position to get that third point. I think it was a good move on (Coach) Jampol's part.''
Helping the pair mesh was the strong connection they share off the court. When it was decided they would take on the DCL as a tandem as seniors, they took extra time to play together over the summer to sharpen their own skills and get used to the other's style.
They soon found the things that make their personalities click as pals were serving them as doubles partners as well.
``We're such good friends that it's really easy to play together,'' Schwartz said. ``Because we can say: `What are you doing?' And you don't feel bad about being that way because you know she'll get over it.''
``Jilli was always good at motivating me because I got really frustrated,'' admitted Holt. ``If Jilli weren't my doubles partner, I might hesitate to say something to someone else. But we were able to communicate very well.''
Though the duo entered the spring with the inside track to the top doubles spot on the team, Jampol wasn't satisfied. He looked at their talents, and how well their styles suited the spot, and determined they could be one of the top doubles teams around.
He just needed them to believe it.
``I realized about halfway through the preseason, when we played some teams and did some challenge matches, that they weren't playing as well as they could,'' he judged. ``It frustrated me that they weren't making the most of it. I thought they had the goods and had to be a little more mentally tough.''
Jampol said he let the two girls know his feelings and that they responded exceptionally.
``Jilli had shown a lot of potential at second doubles when she played there as a sophomore,'' the coach said. ``She was the aggressive one then and I knew in my mind she was the best doubles player I had. Dana was just as aggressive and just not as consistent. Once she cut down on the errors, they played doubles as it should be played.''
It allowed them to pile up the victories as the Lions soared to the top of the DCL. Jampol was able to fill out a strong lineup around them with three-time sectional champion Hollender at No. 1 singles, junior Mika Braginsky at No. 2 and an emerging talent in freshman Lauren Bamel at No. 3, while the team of senior Hannah Konowitz and junior Katherine Man found a comfort level at No. 2 doubles.
``Singles is much easier to play as an incoming freshman,'' Holt determined. ``Doubles is more strategy and experience. So we knew we could help the team the most there. We obviously already knew each other so well, and we played with each other a lot in the offseason, so it worked.''
``It's a completely different perspective on the court,'' said Schwartz of the switch back from singles to doubles. ``It's so much easier in doubles to get what you're thinking off your chest (to a partner), instead of singles where it stays all up in your head.''
Schwartz said she began to rely on the ability to do that with Holt, even if she were simply being humored at times.
``After playing singles, I realized I need to be able to talk,'' she said. ``Even if Dana is just, like, `OK, sure.' I have all these crazy thoughts that run through my mind and it's easier to just say it, get it off my shoulders, and move on.''
Jampol said he eventually realized the girls could do a better job coaching each other during a match than he could through a fence between games.
``After a while, when I came to speak with them,'' he allowed, ``they made it clear that they had listened to me for four years and knew what to do, they just weren't doing it. So after a while I let them be.''
Despite bristling at times, Schwartz said she and Holt were appreciative of Jampol's council.
``I don't think he gets enough credit,'' Schwartz noted of her coach. ``He has really good intentions and he taught us most of what we know about strategy. He definitely helped us to be successful because he put a lot of pressure on us to do well.''
They did tremendously well in moving through the first weekend of the State Individuals, and past North Andover's Frannie McFall and Alex Specht in the first match of the second weekend. Then the third-seeded Lions faced Lexington's second-seeded Alyssa Fontaine and Anna Bystricky in the match both said was the proudest moment of their season.
Down, 4-2, in the first set, they rallied for a 6-4 victory. They were crushed, 6-0, in the second set and faced a 6-5 deficit and three match points in the third before forcing the tiebreaker. Schwartz and Holt then earned a 7-3 victory in the deciding game to move to the final where they succumbed to eventual state champions, Gina Liu and Jocelyn Lunde-Wilde of Westford, 6-1, 7-6 (7-1).
``We didn't really know what we could accomplish,'' Schwartz acknowledged. ``At the beginning of the season, we set a couple of goals - to be DCL All-Stars and Boston Globe All-Scholastics. Then we wanted to be good leaders and teach the team because doubles is all about experience. After four years, we learned a lot and we wanted to pass that along to the rest of the team, so it could continue to be successful.
``We wanted to do everything we did,'' she added, ``but we didn't know if it was a realistic goal.''
``But we made it into one,'' Holt boasted.
In the process, Schwartz and Holt made this one of the most successful seasons in program history despite the disappointing tourney exit.
``A lot of coaches didn't expect a lot from us this year,'' Schwartz recalled. ``That was annoying. So we wanted to prove them wrong. It being our senior year, this was exactly what we wanted, so we just worked for it.''
The work paid off. Although Hollender's foot injury made the tourney hill against L-S too tall to climb, Schwartz and Holt answered their coach's call one last time for a 6-0, 6-0 rout of the Warriors' Emily Baker and Vickie Lee that was measured in minutes instead of hours.
``I was very impressed that last match,'' Jampol said. ``I told them our chances of winning were low. If we had any, we had to get out to a strong start, and they really did in their last match with Newton South.''
Now they move on to a college life that likely will not include competitive tennis at a pair of huge Division I schools. But it will likely still include each other despite both moving more than 700 miles away.
Holt will attend Michigan State University, while Schwartz recently decided she will continue her education at the University of Michigan.
``Isn't that cute?'' Holt beamed. ``I'm so excited.''
It's clear Holt and Schwartz have formed a bond that time and distance won't easily break. Off the court, it was always there. On the court, it was just what the Lions needed this spring.
(Scott Souza is a Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at 781-398-8006 or ssouza@cnc.com.)
