Valparaiso University men’s tennis players Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) saw their run of success at the ITA Midwest Regional in Columbus, Ohio come to a halt with a loss in Monday’s doubles championship.

How It Happened

• Schorsch and Emhardt lost a compelling, intense final match to Michigan’s Jathan Malik and Kevin Wong.
• Emhardt and Schorsch grabbed the opening set 7-6 (6). They were down 2-3, Love 40 in the first set, but captured eight straight points to go up 4-3 and swing the set in their favor.
• Malik and Wong responded to even the match with a 7-6 (6) triumph of their own in Set 2.
• The title was decided by a back-and-forth match tiebreaker, won by Michigan 15-13. The Crusaders overcame an early hole to extend the superbreaker.
• Malik and Wong receive automatic entry into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships in Flushing, N.Y.
• The Crusader duo finished as the ITA Midwest Regional runner-up for the second consecutive year.

Next Up

The final weekend of fall competition for the Crusaders will take place from Oct. 28-30. The Crusaders round out the fall slate by partaking in the Illinois State Invitational in Normal, Ill.