Two-time CIF Southern Section champions (Division 5 in 2015 and Division 4 in 2016), the strength of the girls’ tennis program reflects the long history of tennis here at Thacher. When Sherman Day’s brother, William, arrived on campus fresh out of Yale University in late 1895, he led the men’s tennis team as the runner-up in National Intercollegiate singles play and college doubles champion. Before long it was one of the most popular sports at school and throughout the Ojai Valley. In fact, William was the founder of the oldest amateur tennis tournament in the United States: the Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament, which to this day remains the largest amateur tennis tournament in the country.

 

Today, Thacher’s girls’ varsity team practices and plays on our six well-maintained hard courts against the beautiful backdrop of the Ojai Valley. With a full JV and varsity schedule, the tennis program has something for the student just learning the sport, as well as the experienced player looking to take her game to the college level. While students are focused on skill-building, rising to new challenges at every experience level, and supporting fellow players, they’re also committed to winning, as those two CIF Championships and many league titles since suggest.

About Coach Welborn: 

Coach Katya Welborn has taught tennis for the last 15 years in the Ojai Valley. She currently is the Head Pro for the City of Ojai and helps run the youth and adult tennis programs for the Valley. Coach Katya has played competitive tennis since she was 11 years old in Southern California. In high school, she excelled as the number one singles player on her varsity tennis team, helping them reach the CIF championships. She continued her career playing division two collegiate tennis at Sonoma State University. Her on-court philosophy is to challenge and push yourself, to make sure your mental game is strong and to most of all have fun and enjoy your time on the courts.