Saturday, February 12, 2005

Valparaiso's women's tennis team improved to 2-0 on the season with a 4-3 victory against Evansville on the road Saturday evening.

The Purple Aces, playing short-handed, dropped the first point in doubles. Valpo earned a win at third doubles by default, so Valpo's duo of Whitney Chada (Downers Grove, Ill./North H.S.) and Monika Danko (Northfield, Ill./New Trier H.S.) clinched the point with a 9-7 win at the second spot. Rachel Janssen (Fort Wayne, Ind./Dwenger H.S.) and Jill Dierberg (Saint Louis, Mo./Lutheran South H.S.) fell 8-4 at the top spot.

Evansville (0-3) won points at the first three singles spots. Janssen fell 6-1, 6-4 for the Crusaders at one, while Dierberg dropped a 6-3, 6-2 decision at second singles. Danko fell 6-3, 6-1 at the third spot.

Valpo earned its second point by default at sixth singles, and Charmaine Stanislaw (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville H.S.) notched a 6-1, 6-1 win at fifth singles to even the match. Chada needed three sets to decide her fourth singles contest, but pulled out a 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 come-from-behind victory.

Valpo will take a week off before returning to action on February 26 against Stetson. First serve in DeLand, Fla. is set for 9 a.m. CST.