Lola Diaz ’26, hailing from Portland, OR, and Marbella, Spain, has been an integral part of the Swarthmore women’s tennis team for the past four years. She has been awarded All-Centennial First Team Singles (2024) and All-Centennial First-Team Doubles (2024) and has been playing first position singles for almost two seasons. During her first season at Swarthmore, she went undefeated (6-0) in conference matches, finishing with a singles record of 10-4 and a doubles record of 7-1. In her sophomore year, Diaz finished 9-3 in conference play, tying the team first place in singles victories, and was also named Centennial Athlete of the Week. The next spring, she posted a 7-4 record in first position doubles, and a five-game win streak in singles. Thus far this season, she has won six matches at first position singles. She has also won nine of sixteen matches at first position doubles matches with her partner Erin Li ’27 and one with Veronica Komorek ’28 against Thomas Jefferson University. The Garnet are shortly going into their post-season play and we are excited to see how well they do!
Katie Kerman: Congratulations on your recent singles match and team win against Washington College! How does it feel to have finished Centennial Play undefeated for a second year in a row, and finished with an overall record of 13-5?
Lola Diaz: Honestly, it’s a pretty good feeling. I have worked really hard to get to where I am now and there have been a lot of bumps in the road. The process has not been easy, but to finish my season this way, I couldn’t ask for a better ending.
KK: How did the team prepare for this season? Was there anything different that could have led to the undefeated record and, if so, what was it?
LD: This season has been a radically different experience from the previous three years. The team cohesion this season has created a really great environment for all of us to work together and hold each other accountable. The best part about it is we all want it so bad and we will work as hard as we need to reach our full potential this season. Even though the conference isn’t the strongest now with Johns Hopkins University going independent, we continue to work our hardest and show up to every match to show that we are the strongest team.
KK: What do you think has been clicking in terms of overall team performance this spring season? Have you all approached each match day with a different mindset this year?
LD: Compared to past years, this team has collectively worked so hard to get where we are. We have great leadership with Kathleen Shiffer ’26 and Riya Rao ’26 but the biggest difference is that we are working as a unit this year. Tennis in general is a difficult sport to play as a team given that the actual game is played individually, but we have done an exceptional job at supporting one another and working together to maximize our potential as a team. Each match day we start by hyping each other up and we get excited about every opportunity we have to compete, whether it be a conference match or a match against a ranked team. Our coach, Jeremy Loomis, has been working hard to prepare us for every situation and his belief in this team has also been a crucial factor in our success.
Also, the first years this year have been a force — all of them work so hard and want it so bad so that’s been a huge addition to the team. They are all super dedicated to the sport and you can tell how much they care just in their first year. This class will be a very vital group for the future of Swarthmore’s women’s tennis. Couldn’t be happier with this group of girls.
KK: As a senior, have you found yourself approaching matches differently?
LD: Definitely. Tennis has been a huge part of my life ever since I started playing with my dad. Having him coach me, I was always held to very high expectations and I tend to hold those for myself as well. Now approaching my final season of tennis, my focus has been more in relishing in the final moments here on this team. There’s less pressure, and I just want to enjoy it as much as I can. Taking this pressure off my shoulders has been a huge reason for my success this season. Obviously, I continue to work as hard as always, taking the measures I need to make sure I stay strong and healthy, as well as giving my 100% at practice, but during matches I put less pressure on myself, allowing me to play freely and with less stress. Especially in these last few matches at the Mullan Tennis Center and the Faulkner Courts, I want to be able to enjoy them as much as possible, considering that I will never be able to play in an atmosphere like this ever again and with this amazing team.
KK: What are some goals you have for yourself and the team as you finish out the regular season and head into the postseason?
LD: Obviously we want to win the Centennial Conference Championship! With that championship and heading to NCAAs, we’re hoping to make it further than last year. We were right there with Washington and Lee University in the second round of NCAAs, and it all came down to one match. Unfortunately we weren’t able to clinch that match, but we have another great opportunity this year, and we’re planning to make the absolute most of it. We’re super grateful to be given these opportunities and to represent Swarthmore at the highest stage of D3 tennis. We just have to keep working hard and make sure to keep our bodies and minds healthy. It’s getting to that final stretch where classes are done, exams are approaching and everything just seems to be piling on. It’s an important time to zone in and go and get after it.
KK: Do you have any pre-match routines? Does the team have any larger rituals for pre- or post-matches?
LD: I do! I usually wake up about two hours before the match (if it’s in the morning) and make sure I have all the things I need for my match. I’m pretty superstitious when it comes to being prepared so if I’m missing a water bottle, a hair tie, or even my red bow that we wear as a team for matches, it stresses me out to a point where I feel like something might go wrong. I need to make sure I have everything and that I’m 100% ready for the match. After getting ready, I typically go get my coffee and breakfast, then head to the trainers to get work done on my back and arm. Then I’ll usually head to Mullan and string a racket if someone on the team needs one strung. I am pretty heavy on the music too — I need a playlist that will hype me up and get me in the mindset for a tennis match. The team will then come together, we’ll get our uniforms on, and start warming up. Before every match we have a huddle that we call “the phoenix”: we get together, I get in the middle, and we get loud.
KK: Looking ahead, what are you most excited about for the rest of the season? And what has been your favorite Swarthmore women’s tennis memory over the course of your four seasons here?
LD: I am most excited about being able to share the playoff tournament with this team as well as (hopefully — I don’t want to jinx it) going to NCAAs. It’s an incredible experience and there is no other team I would rather share it with.
I’m not sure if I can pick a favorite memory, but one of them has to be winning the championship last year and celebrating together as a team. Having a lot of the school come out and celebrating both the men and women’s team wins was an awesome experience. Another might have to be travelling to Mallorca with the team and visiting the Rafael Nadal Academy. It was like having both of my worlds collide — being in my home country with my team is something I never would’ve imagined.
KK: Do you have a favorite tennis player to watch?
LD: Hard core Rafael Nadal fan, but after his retirement I have shifted more towards Carlos Alcaraz. Now Spain has another rising star, too: Rafa Jodar, who actually played a year of college tennis at University of Virginia. It’s exciting to continue to see Spanish tennis dominate on the tour.
KK: Reflecting on your collegiate career, what advice would you give to an incoming student-athlete at Swarthmore?
LD: My first advice would be to work as hard as you can — being a D3 athlete means you can reach the highest level of excellence in both sports and academics. Prioritize yourself and your health, and use the resources the school has to offer. They want you to succeed and want you to come out of this experience as the best possible version of yourself. Work hard, play hard, and relish these four years because the time flies, and it’s over before you know it.
KK: What is your major and a favorite course you have taken at Swarthmore?
LD: I am a computer science major with a psychology and statistics double minor. So far, my favorite course has been Modern Political Thought with Associate Professor Jonny Thakkar. It’s not an easy course and it has a lot of heavy reading, but the professor has made the subject very entertaining and challenges me to think outside of my comfort zone.
