Rock Bridge second at state tennis finals

The Rock Bridge girls tennis team continued its near decade-long success with a second-place finish in the Class 2 state championships Thursday in Springfield Mo.

“We almost did it,” Rock Bridge coach Ben Loeb said. “We gave it a great run. I think our girls represented the school and community very well.”

Led by strong performances from singles players Lauren Kane and Allison Wulff, Rock Bridge defeated Nerinx Hall 5-1 in the semifinals.

Kane and Wulff were also impressive in the championship match against St. Joseph’s Academy. Kane won 7-5, 6-3 at No. 3 singles and Wulff had a 6-2, 6-1 victory at No. 4.

But St. Joseph’s Academy responded in doubles play and the Bruins fell short of claiming their seventh state championship and first since 2003 in a 5-3 loss.

Loeb said he was proud of his team’s effort and praised St. Joseph’s talent.

The runner-up finish is the sixth in Rock Bridge history and the ninth consecutive year the Bruins finished as one of the top three teams in the state.