The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team saw three individuals advance to the second round of the their respective main draws following an unseasonably warm first day of competition at the Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championship hosted by Missouri State. Sophomore Jelena Vujanic (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove), junior Jordan Kopfer (Eagan, Minn. / Eastview) and freshman Isabella Schoolcraft (Bargersvile, Ind. / Center Grove) all advanced in the main draw. In addition, two of Valpo’s three doubles teams won their first-round matches on a successful Friday in Springfield, Mo.

How It Happened

• Vujanic picked up a win in Flight 1 singles, advancing by virtue of a three-set thriller over talented Stony Brook freshman Jamie Wei. Vujanic bounced back after dropping the first set 2-6 to win Sets 2 and 3 by the scores of 6-3, 7-5.
• Kopfer swept her way to a 6-4, 7-5 win over Missouri State’s Alexia Meyer in Flight 7 Singles. Meyer and Kopfer met in doubles competition during last year’s regular season match with Missouri State winning 6-1.
• Schoolcraft took part in Flight 6 Singles and gained a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Stony Brook’s Anatasia Koniaev.
• Sophomore Claire Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) dropped her main draw singles match to Missouri State’s Anna Alons 6-2, 6-1, but will play for fifth place in Flight 2 after winning her second match of the day by retirement.
• Junior Meg Modesto (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) bounced back from a Flight 3 Singles setback to Jana Kustkova of Illinois State 6-4, 6-3 by earning a tight 7-6(3), 6-3 win over UNI’s Harri Proudfoot to advance to the fifth-place match.
• In Flight 4 Singles, freshman Olivia Paradise (Mahtomedia, Minn. / Mahtomedi) defaulted due to illness.
• In Flight 1 Doubles, Valpo’s top tandem of Vujanic and Czerwonka cruised to a 6-1 victory over Illinois State’s Tara Damnjanovic and Natalie Bravo.
• Valpo also had success in Flight 2 Doubles as senior Randi Wind (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) and Paradise teamed up for a 6-3 victory over Missouri State’s Meyer/Khamissi.
• The only Valpo defeat in doubles was a narrow one as Schoolcraft and Modesto dropped their match with Merrick/Fain of UNI 7-6(4) in Flight 3.

Inside the Matches

• Vujanic reached the 25-win milestone with her singles victory and upped her record to 6-1 this season.
• Kopfer is a perfect 6-0 this season, while Schoolcraft is off to a 5-0 start to her young collegiate career. Kopfer now has 16 career singles wins.
• Modesto’s win put her at four for the season and 22 for her career.
• Czerwonka and Vujanic are now 5-1 as a doubles tandem. Czerwonka is up to 20 doubles wins as only a sophomore, while Vujanic is close behind with 17.
• The freshman/senior pairing of Paradise and Wind picked up their second win together. Wind has won 17 career doubles matches.  

Up Next

An eventful second day of the MVC Individual Championships for Valpo will get underway at 9 a.m. CT on Saturday.