The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team suffered a 6-1 setback to instate foe Ball State on Saturday in Muncie. Claire Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) continued her strong freshman season by accounting for Valpo’s team point with a win at No. 1 singles.

How It Happened

• Czerwonka claimed Valpo’s lone singles win, defeating Sarah Swiderski in straight sets, 7-5, 6-3.
• The closest match of the day came at No. 2 singles, where freshman Jelena Vujanic (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove) bounced back after dropping the first to Peyton Gollhofer to force a third. Vujanic eventually fell 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
• The Cardinals (4-2) topped the Crusaders (3-4) in the remaining singles matches and on all three doubles contests.

Inside the Match

• Czerwonka accumulated her ninth singles win on the season to improve her mark to 9-6. She ranks second on the team behind Vujanic (10) in singles victories.
• The win for Czerwonka came over Swiderski, who is playing No. 1 singles in her first year with the Cardinals after competing at the top three singles spots for two seasons at UNC Greensboro.

Up Next

Valpo will continue its stretch of nine straight road matches to begin the spring season on Saturday, Feb. 17 at Northern Illinois. The match is slated to begin at 2 p.m. CT.