The Valparaiso University men’s tennis team stayed unbeaten on the Florida trip and garnered its third consecutive victory by topping Appalachian State 6-1 on Thursday afternoon at the USTA National Tennis Center in Orlando. Valpo won five of the six singles matches and two of the three doubles fixtures on the way to the decisive triumph.

How It Happened

• Valpo rolled to a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles as Kweisi Kenyatte (Detroit, Mich. / East English Village Preparatory) and Brandon Ancona (Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Christian) downed Milo Margeron and Alex Pavkovich in the first match of the day to finish.
• The No. 3 doubles match went Appalachian State’s way, so the doubles point came down to the No. 2 battle that featured Chad Kissell (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) and Brian Pecyna (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / Homeschooled) against Zion Heaven and Afonso Viana. The Valpo tandem picked up a 7-6 win on a 7-4 tiebreak.
• Ancona played No. 3 singles for the first time this season after seeing his previous action at No. 1 and No. 2. He responded in a positive manner, making quick work of Viana by notching a double bagel.
• Kenyatte continued his strong play at No. 2 singles, topping Pavkovich 6-1, 6-2.
• After the Mountaineers (3-9) took the No. 1 singles point, Valpo clinched the match when Pecyna closed out a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Heaven at No. 4.
• Just for good measure, Valpo (9-3) tacked on wins in each of the remaining singles showdowns. Daniel Langston (Ponca City, Okla. / Ponca City) rebounded from a 1-6 loss in Set 1 to win the remaining sets 6-4, 10-6, while Gabriel Carvajal (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Broward Virtual School [Florida Atlantic]) registered a 6-2, 7-6(3) triumph at No. 6. 

Inside the Match

• Ancona is still the team leader in victories as he now owns an impressive 18-4 mark on the year.
• Kenyatte played his third straight match at No. 2 singles and improved to 3-0 in those matches. He has captured victories in 10 of his 11 singles matches during the spring campaign.
• Carvajal continued to play well in the back half of Valpo’s lineup, as he now sits at 10-2 in dual matches.
• Langston earned his 14^th win of the year, while Pecyna bounced back from Wednesday’s setback with his 15^th victory of the campaign.
• The No. 1 doubles team of Ancona and Kenyatte improved to 15-5, while the Kissell/Pecyna duo increased its record to 7-2 on the year including a 6-1 mark when playing second doubles.

Up Next

The final match of the spring trip will begin at 11:15 a.m. CT / 12:15 p.m. ET on Saturday at the USTA National Tennis Center in Orlando.