Box Score

            Freshman Phidias Fortune (San Antonio, Texas/Madison H.S.) won the decisive match on Monday afternoon as Valparaiso defeated Chicago State 4-3 in Chicago, Ill.

            Fortune, who played sixth singles, posted a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Cameron Shanklin to give the Crusaders their fourth win in their last seven matches.  In the process, the rookie moved the .500 mark individually for the season.

            Valpo started the match winning the opening doubles point.  Mike Shideler (Valparaiso, Ind./Munster H.S.) and Mike Wagner (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer H.S.) defeated the Imanuel brothers, Prabowo and Prakoso, 8-6 at the top of the lineup while Alex Lau (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson Senior H.S.) and Fortune won by the same score against Aumir Ahmad and Abram Mamahit.  The Cougars won at third doubles as Jonathan Sutjiadi and Shanklin topped Dan Brunette (Carmel, Ind./Lutheran H.S. of Indianapolis) and Kyle Stump (Plymouth, Ind./Plymouth H.S.) 8-5.

            Chicago State (4-10), trailing after doubles, took a 2-1 lead as Sutjiadi downed Wagner 6-2, 6-2 at number three singles while Prakoso Imanuel defeated Shideler 6-4, 6-4.  Lau tied the match with a 6-0, 4-6, 10-5 victory at the top of the order against Prabowo Imanuel and Brunette gave the Brown and Gold a 3-2 lead with a 6-3, 7-5 win against Mamahit at fourth singles.  Chicago State’s Toni Todoric tied the match at three with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Stump before Fortune won the final contest.    

            “This is a big win for us as a team,” head coach Jim Daugherty said.  “It gives us a good bit of confidence going into our match at UIC on Wednesday.”

            Valparaiso (4-10) will return to Horizon League action in Chicago with a 3 p.m. match against the Flames.