Rancho Santa Fe resident named Coastal Conference singles tennis champion
Rancho Santa Fe resident Kelly Shaffer, a sophomore at Bishop’s School in La Jolla, went on to top off her 40-6 record for the Bishop’s Girls’ Varsity tennis season by winning the Coastal League playoff held at La Jolla County Day on Nov. 8. Top-seeded Shaffer won three matches for the MVP title: 8-0 against Francis Parker’s Brianna Goldstein; 6-0, 6-0 against Tri-City Christian’s Kaylin Hicks; and a 7-5, 6-4 finals match against Francis Parker senior Anna Rudakov. This is the first Coastal Conference individual title for Bishop’s since Kimberly Cox, a 2008 bishop’s graduate, won in 2005.
Now Shaffer gears up for the San Diego Section CIF Individual Championships beginning Nov. 14 at the Barnes Tennis Center in Point Loma. Shaffer is a returning student to Bishop’s after taking a year off for tennis training. This will be her first year competing in the CIF Championship.
The Bishop’s Girls’ Varsity Tennis team composed of 12 players made it through to the Div III CIF team semi-finals. They ended their regular Coastal League season with 13 wins and 3 losses and headed into the CIF team playoffs last week. Bishop’s, seeded 5, easily defeated Brawley 16-2, then in quarter finals, narrowly beat Coronado 9-9 (77-76). The win came down to one pressure-filled tie-break game won by Bishop’s Junior Nicole Sadowsky. The win lead the team straight into a semi-final match up with La Jolla High School.
The team fell short in the semi’s, with a 13-5 loss ending the team events for the year with a 15-4 record. “We had a strong finish and I am looking forward to next season,” says Knights’ Varsity Tennis Coach Matt Copland.
“We have a handful of strong sophomore players who are committed to off-season training. With strong singles players like sophomores Kelly Shaffer and Emily Olson, we are looking to achieve a finals finish next year.”
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