SPRINGFIELD, Mo. • Visitation juniors Jocelyn Koester, Brianna Menolascino, Jana Haikal and Marielle Newell wanted to be a part of their second consecutive state championship team and they came through on that wish.
The quartet played in the top four in the Vivette singles lineup in Viz's run to the Missouri Class 1 girls tennis title, which culminated Thursday at the Cooper Tennis Complex.
"Jocelyn is a strong, graceful athlete with a huge game," Vivettes coach Annie Menees said. "She dominates with her serve and forehand. She has done an incredible job of stepping up to No. 1 singles for us this year.
"Brianna is a skilled all-court player who has every shot in the book. She's a fearless competitor who is not afraid to attack the net.
"Though she smiles through every match, Jana is a fierce competitior who fights for every single point. Marielle has a beautiful, effortless, all-around tennis game. Her footwork is amazing and sets her up for success from anywhere on the court."
Menees has now coached a pair of state team champions at Visitation. She played on two state championship teams at MICDS and also was a three-time individual state singles champion. Menees finished second in Class 1A-3A in 1997 and then won titles in 1998, 1999, and 2000.
PARKWAY CENTRAL'S ODD PATH TO SECOND PLACE
The odds were in Parkway Central's favor in their semifinal match at the Missouri Class 2 tournament on Thursday.
The Colts avenged a loss to Park Hill in last year's third place match with a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Trojans.
Parkway Central won every odd numbered match in the six singles-three doubles format.
Hannah Wille (No. 1), Julie Yang (No. 3) and Deana Wang (No. 5) won in singles, while Wille and Amanda Truong (No. 1) and Wang and Lin Hu (No. 3) won doubles matches.
The second place finish by the Colts matched their best ever in the state tournament. Parkway Central was also second in 1998.
LAFAYETTE THIRD IN CLASS 2
Lafayette was the first school from the Rockwood School District to make it to the final four in the girls tournament.
The Lancers played well Thursday, taking defending and eventual Class 2 champion Rock Bridge, to the limit in a 5-4 loss. The match took five hours to play.
Lafayette finished with a 5-2 win over Park Hill in the third place match. The Lancers' superior depth was shown in the win over the Trojans.
Park Hill won at No. 1 and 2 singles, but the Lancers swept the next four singles spots (Chelsea Weise, Abby Carpenter, Julia Vranas and Kayla Neskar). Carpenter and Neskar clinched the win at No. 3 doubles.
"The whole experience was very special for the team," said Weise, a senior. "We got Lafayette on the map and the match this morning was so intense and close. It was a good way to end my senior season. I was able to go out with a bang."
Weise won both of her singles matches in straight sets Thursday. She concluded her season with a perfect record in singles and did not lose a single set.
Carpenter also won both matches at state and was also unbeaten in singles in 2011.
ACTION-PACKED COMPLEX
The individual portion of the state tournament will be contested Friday and Saturday at the Cooper Tennis Complex. For the second year in a row, the state softball tournament will be held at the same time, next door in the same complex. Eureka and Troy will be playing in Class 4 in softball, while Westminster and Sullivan will be in the final four in Class 3.
