There's no truth to the rumor that Greater Latrobe High School senior Joelle Kissell sustained any permanent bodily trauma from the lack of oxygen she experienced immediately after winning the PIAA Class AAA girls' tennis singles championship last weekend in Hershey.

The euphoria of the moment just made it seem that way.

"Oh my gosh, after the match was over," said Kissell, "I was so happy I couldn't even really believe it. I was just trying to breathe. It was like, 'Oh my gosh, I kind of forgot how to breathe.'"

Kissell breezed to first- and second-round wins against George Washington's Mari Samadashavilli and Radnor's Lauren Bridges, respectively -- losing only a total of three games in the process -- last Friday at the Hershey Racquet Club.

Saturday morning, Kissell breezed to another victory in the semifinals, 6-1, 6-1, against Leah Rutt of Lancaster McCaskey to advance to her first PIAA singles tournament final, where she faced a familiar face in Tessa Lyons of Strath Haven.

Kissell had known Lyons personally from when they were teammates in a Federation Cup-style USTA team tournament for junior players from its various regions.

They also have a history of matches against each other, most notably last season's PIAA semifinals, when Lyons beat Kissell, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, en route to winning the title.

This season, Kissell exacted her revenge, rallying for a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory.

"I lost the first set and after the first, I was like, 'Oh, no,'" Kissell said. "'Just concentrate on every point. Just keep trying to get one more shot back.' I was able to swing a little harder, and things started going my way, so that was good."

It was actually the second PIAA title for Kissell -- she won the doubles championship as a freshman in 2006 with partner Allie Seranko. That also came in a three-set victory in the final after three easy matches in the earlier rounds.

"I think both are different," Kissell said of comparing a singles title to a doubles one. "It was definitely different being out there all by yourself knowing you were able to do that, it's an amazing thing.

"But when I was there with Allie, one of the greatest feelings was having a partner and being able to rely on her. I know she always had my back. That was kind of a cool thing, too."

Kissell's two PIAA championships are one less than sister Michaela earned in her high school career. Now at Marshall University after originally starting out and playing at the University of Miami in Florida, Michaela Kissell won the WPIAL and PIAA singles championships her freshman through junior seasons.

Joelle was expecting to select a college this week, but she has delayed her decision.

Joelle Kissell ended up with two each WPIAL and PIAA championships, but hers weren't in the same years. She won the WPIAL doubles title with Seranko three years ago. Then she won the WPIAL singles championship last season with a win against Plum's Ronit Yurovsky in the final.

But Yurovsky went a round further than Kissell at the PIAA tournament. This season, that was reversed, as Yurovsky, now a sophomore, beat Kissell in the WPIAL championship match, but lost to Lyons in the PIAA semifinals, 7-5, 6-2.

So, Kissell won the 2008 WPIAL title and the 2009 PIAA championship but not the other in the opposite year.

"I got it backward," Kissell said with a laugh. "It's just how it happened. I'm just thankful I was able to win them both, even if they weren't in the same year. It was nice to be able to end my career with a win in the last match at the high school level I'll ever play. It's kind of cool to go out on top.

"I was able to come in a state champion and now leave a state champion. That's kind of nice. I won as a freshman and now as a senior I finally got one for singles, so it's kind of cool."

Mike White's "High School Sports Edition" videos are featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.