From primary school to Penn

It was exactly 10 years ago that Britt Hebden, Christina Matthias and Sarah Roberts joined the William Penn Charter School’s varsity squash team as 12 year olds.

At the time, no one would have ever guessed that the three teammates would be sharing the court a decade later.

The long-lasting relationship between Hebden, Matthias and Roberts started when they were five and has continued for 17 years.

It all began when Hebden started playing squash in the second grade.

“Christina [Matthias] and Sarah [Roberts], my two best friends, were playing squash, and I just wanted to join in,” Hebden said.

Soon, the trio would dominate their high school league.

“When we first joined, Penn Charter had a really bad team,” Matthias said. “But by senior year, our team won [the] league for the first time and even went to nationals.”

Despite their close friendship, the topic of college decisions never came up between the three teammates. Although Roberts opted for Brown, Hebden and Matthias chose Penn and would continue building their relationship over the next four years.

Even though her father played for Penn men’s squash, Roberts’ decision was fueled by her desire to attend a college outside of Philadelphia.

Despite this separation, Ivy League squash has kept the three Philadelphia natives extremely close.

“It’s cool that we can carry our friendship into college,” Matthias said. “We see each other more than we see our other friends, and that’s definitely because of squash.”

As members of the Penn squash team, Hebden and Matthias have continued to develop their skills and have grown able to identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

“I know that there are some players I can beat and she can’t and some players she can beat but I can’t,” Hebden said. “We have very different games.”

“We would be amazing doubles players though,” Matthias added. “We are even thinking about going pro.”

But while the bond between Matthias and Hebden is stronger than ever, the two have also expanded their circle to include fellow seniors Kristen Lange and Sydney Scott.

“The three of us [Hebden, Roberts and Matthias] did everything together in high school and that’s how the four of us are at Penn,” Matthias said.

This camaraderie, however, makes the girls’ final season bittersweet as they play together for the last time.

Matthias’ plans to attend a school in Ireland will put major miles between the two longtime friends.

While their long squash journey might slowly be coming to an end, the girls hope to keep in touch.

“I’m definitely going to miss everyone a lot and the hardest part will be being away from my friends,” Matthias said. “But it’s going to be a very different experience, and I’m excited.”

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