May 6, 2003

Two signees announced for women's tennis team

Head Missouri Southern tennis coach Jane Posch announced that two former prep standouts, Kristen Meschede and Brandi Shultz, have signed on to join the Missouri Southern tennis team, beginning in the 2003-04 academic year.

Meschede will come to Southern from Blue Springs, Mo. and Blue Springs South High School. She's a two-time district doubles champion and a three-time member of the Greater Kansas City All-Area Team. As a senior, Meschede went 11-3 at No. 1 singles and was 23-4 in No. 1 doubles. She holds a career record of 36-23 at singles and set the school record for most doubles wins, going 68-27 during her high school career. As a freshman, Meschede earned all-state accolades after her doubles team placed fifth at the state tournament and won the district crown. During her sophomore year, her doubles team again won the district title and went on to place seventh at state. She served as team captain over her last two years, playing at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles. As a junior, her doubles team placed third in the district and in her senior season, the Jaguars won the conference title.

Shultz, of Parsons, Kan., was a three-year team captain for her Parsons High School team that placed no lower than third at the state tournament in each of the last four years. As a senior, Shultz won the state title in doubles after collecting runner-up honors at state as a junior. The school record holder for most matches won in a season, Shultz lost just one match as a senior. She finished 10th in singles at state as a freshman and was seventh in doubles as a sophomore. She's also a pre-medicine Kansas Honor Scholar.

In 2002-03, the Missouri Southern Lady Lions finished fifth at the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Tournament and posted a 7-12 overall record in duals, including 3-3 in the MIAA.