Torrey Pines Captures 3-A Girls’ Tennis Title; Bishop’s Wins 2-A

LA JOLLA —  Watching Torrey Pines High School defeat Bonita Vista in the 3-A San Diego Section final of the girls’ CIF team tennis championships Saturday at Bishop’s School strengthens the reputation of tennis dominance in the Palomar League.

Four of the league’s seven teams made it to the quarterfinals of section team playoffs and three--Torrey Pines (No. 1), San Dieguito (No. 2) and Poway (No. 4)--were ranked.

“When you can win that league and have it all to yourself, not a co-championship, you have a lot of confidence (going into playoffs),” Torrey Pines Coach Ann Meigs said after the Falcons--runner-up to Poway in last year’s final--beat Bonita Vista 7.5 to 3.5 for their second CIF title since 1976’s championship season. Torrey Pines also won in 1985.

In the 2-A final, defending-champion Bishop’s overwhelmed La Jolla, 10-1. The Knights had beaten the Vikings, 11-0, and 10-1, in conference play.

Bonita Vista--coming from the Metro League where Coronado is the only real competition--was without senior Cammie Foley, a nationally ranked 18s player. Foley was at UCLA on a recruiting trip that was set up months ago.

Said Baron Coach Jim Cartmill: “Having her never hurts. I just didn’t want to jeopardize her chances at UCLA.”

“If she had been here, it would have made a difference,” Meigs said, “but we could have won it anyway.”

Torrey Pines won on the strength of its doubles team, where the Falcons shut out the Barons in three matches. The No. 1 Torrey Pines doubles team of junior Kim Sherrod and sophomore Krista Kuechler defeated heavily favored Veena Prabhaker and Jennifer Stanford, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4, and set the tone for the remaining matches.

“No. 1 doubles had to win (in order) to win the CIF team finals,” said Kuechler, who was playing with Sherrod for only the third time this season.

“I was talking to Lisa (Daly, No. 3 singles) and she got all down when I told her we had lost the first set (in No. 1 doubles), but after we won, that started to motivate (the rest of the team).”

Said Meigs: “That doubles match was absolutely an essential win.”

In the 2-A final, La Jolla was playing without its No. 1 player, Lee Ann Rostovsky, the No. 3-ranked 14s player in the country, who’s been out with a knee injury all season. La Jolla’s Hana Ohkana prevented a shutout with a No. 3 singles win.

Bishop coach Bill Scott said that his was one of the most talented and versatile teams he has coached. “I have 9 or 10 girls that I can play anywhere,” Scott said.

Freshman Brooke Galardi, the 14th-ranked 14s player nationally, won her No. 1 singles match 6-0, 6-0. “It’s exciting to be on a team that can do it,” she said. “It’s different when you’re on a team that you have to hold up.”

Bishop’s has made the CIF team finals every year since 1974 except 1984.