The recent death of Vicksburg tennis pioneer Beverly O’Neal not only created a void in the tennis community, it also had a big impact on one of the city’s best tennis players, Chase Koestler.

Koestler completed a successful, two-year stint with Meridian Community College, helping the Eagles to a Top 12 finish at the National Junior College Athletic Association Tournament in Plano, Texas.

The Warren Central graduate picked up a point for coach Wanda McPhail’s team by winning his first-round match in the No. 2 singles bracket in the national tournament.

“This was the best team Meridan (CC) has ever had,” Koestler said. “We finished 12th nationally and could’ve been in the top eight, but we lost a couple of three-set matches. We were real close to the Top 10. Last year, we finished 17th.”

Koestler went 17-3 in singles play and 16-4 in doubles. He was 2-2 in the postseason, including a 1-1 mark at the nationals.

Koestler’s season ended when he lost to eventual national champion Alex Ortega of Laredo, Texas, in the second round of the NJCAA Championships.

“I lost to the guy who won it at No. 1 last year. They moved him to No. 2 for this tournament, I guess because of a team strategy. But he was the best I’ve ever played against it. He’s easily a big Division I guy,” Koestler said of Ortega.

Koestler beat Victor Marchiori of Kalamazoo (Mich.) Valley in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-1, to win his first-round match at the nationals.

During the regular season, Koestler was virtually unbeatable in Mississippi, winning 13 straight matches.

“The regular season went good. I was 17-2 and the only losses were to a guy at Belhaven and to Michael O’Brien at Central Alabama,” he said. “But I came back to beat O’Brien in a rematch.”

Then came O’Neal’s death following a tennis match on April 9.

“It hit me hard,” Koestler said. “I lost two matches to Mississippi players after going 13-0. I loved her to death. She was the reason I started playing tennis. She was wonderful.

“I was 11 or 12 when I met her. She taught clinics and was giving lessons. Later on, when I was at Warren Central, I would hit with her. She did a lot for tennis in Vicksburg.”

Koestler bounced back emotionally to have a good showing at the nationals. He credited McPhail for getting the Eagles ready to play.

“Chase was playing some of the best tennis I’ve seen of him during the first two-thirds of the season,” McPhail said. “Then I remember him losing focus and lost a match. He just stayed out on the court for a very long time. I knew it was more than just losing a match.”

Koestler finished the fall ranked No. 61 in the men’s junior college national rankings. At mid-spring, he said he was at No. 69.