Kayla Shenk became the first student athlete from Delaware Valley Friends School to accept an offer to play college tennis, when she recently accepted an offer from Ithaca College.
Shenk began playing No. 1 singles for Delaware Valley Friends in 2014 as a sixth grader. She continued to play No. 1 for the next six years, winning nearly 30 matches. She was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player every year.
Delaware Valley Friends tennis head coach Jeff Sacks said, “Kayla’s strength on the court is her consistency from the baseline and her ability to end the point. She rarely double faults and her fitness enables her to outlast her opponent during long points. During practice, she shares her skill and knowledge of the game by helping her teammates improve. During a match, Kayla is the first person to compliment her opponent after a sensational shot and winning the sportsmanship award at DVFS is a testament to that.”
Shenk was a USTA Net Gen Ambassador for 2018, and participated in the USTA college combine at the USTA National Campus in Orlando Fla.
Delaware Valley Friends School athletic director Jalal Rhamirich said, “Delaware Valley Friends School played a part in shaping Kayla’s love of the game of tennis and her passion for the sport grew even more while being coached by head coach Jeff Sacks and his wife, assistant coach Roni Sacks. Kayla is a great player with great court coverage and good court sense, when she’s on the court, she stays pretty cool but inside there’s a huge fireball, she fights for every point. She will be an incredible addition to Ithaca and will bring a great work ethic and energy to their team.”
Delaware Valley Friends School is a private, Quaker-based school specializing in educating bright children with learning disabilities.
