The Valparaiso University men’s tennis team closed out a week of wins on Saturday afternoon in Orlando, Fla., topping Northern Illinois 5-2 at the USTA National Tennis Center. This completed a stretch of four matches in six days in the state of Florida that saw the team go 4-0 and improve its season record to 10-3.

How It Happened

• Valpo found itself needing to come from behind after the doubles point and the first singles match to finish went the way of the Huskies (8-6).
• Valpo did win at No. 1 doubles as Kweisi Kenyatte (Detroit, Mich. / East English Village Preparatory) and Brandon Ancona (Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Christian) put together a 6-2 triumph over Mikko Malinen and Victor Spolidorio. However, Northern Illinois won at second and third doubles.
• The first singles match to finish was No. 1, as Eric Marbach topped Chad Kissell (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) 6-2, 6-3.
• After NIU held a 2-0 lead in the team scoring, Valpo swept the remaining singles courts to cruise to the win. Ancona (6-4, 6-4 over Bor Schweiger Muzar) and Kenyatte (6-4, 6-3 over David Pata) garnered straight-set wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles respectively.
• Daniel Langston (Ponca City, Okla. / Ponca City) also required just two sets to get in the win column, getting the best of Shao-Yu Yu 7-5, 6-2 at No. 5. Gabriel Carvajal (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Broward Virtual School [Florida Atlantic]) played a closer match but also got it done in two sets at No. 6, beating Spolidorio 6-4, 7-6(3).
• The only match of the day that went the distance was at No. 4, where Brian Pecyna (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / Homeschooled) rebounded from a Set 1 setback to beat Malinen 2-6, 7-6(4), 10-7.

Inside the Match

• It was another impressive day for Ancona, the team leader in wins with a 19-4 mark.
• Kenyatte has picked up victories in 11 of his 12 singles matches during the spring campaign.
• Carvajal upped his record to 11-2, Langston earned his 15^th win of the year and Pecyna racked up his 16^th win.
• The No. 1 doubles team of Ancona and Kenyatte improved to 16-5.

Up Next

Valpo will return home to host Butler on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m. at either Match Point Tennis Club in Griffith or the Valpo Tennis Complex.