The Valparaiso University tennis team rallied after dropping the doubles point by winning four of the five singles matches that reached their conclusion, beating UTEP 4-2 in a match that utilized a clinch-clinch format on Tuesday in Huntsville, Texas.

How It Happened

• UTEP won the No. 3 doubles match, but both other doubles collisions came down to the wire with the Beacons needing to take both to win the doubles point. The No. 1 doubles tandem of Olivia Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) and Moira Silva (Houston, Texas / Houston Tennis Academy) joined forces to edge UTEP’s Zuzanna Szczepanska and Veronika Lebisova on a tiebreak 7-6(4).
• The final doubles match to finish came at No. 2, where Sydney Stone (Brisbane, Australia [Tyler JC]) and Jolene Fernandes (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) also went to a tiebreak, but Carlotta Mencaglia and Hanna Telzynska prevailed 7-6(4) to help the Miners go up 1-0 in the match.
• Czerwonka was the first player off her singles court, downing Telzynska 6-2, 6-4 in straight sets. She was followed in victory by Elizabeth Sobieski (Muskego, Wis. / Muskego), who won 7-5, 6-2 over Paloma Hennicaux at No. 5.
• UTEP got even at 2-2 when the No. 3 singles match went final, but the Beacons regained the lead when Stone edged out a tiebreak in the second set to beat Emma Stuart 6-2, 7-6(5) at No. 6.
• The No. 1 and No. 4 singles matches both went to third sets, with Valpo needing to win only one to lock up the match. That came at No. 4, when Fernandes finalized a 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 win over Szczepanska. Silva led Leisova 6-2, 1-6, 4-3 when play was halted.

Inside the Match

• Czerwonka boosted her singles win total to 19 this season and 82 in her collegiate career. She advanced into a tie for fifth in single-season program history in singles wins.
• Czerwonka, the program recordholder for career singles wins, moved into a tie for fourth in school history (men’s and women’s) with Dave Bacalla (2013-2017).
• Czerwonka garnered her program-record 75^th career doubles victory, moving into a tie for third in school history (men’s and women’s) with Bacalla. She and Silva achieved their 13^th doubles win this season.
• Fernandes (14), Sobieski (13) and Stone (11) all bolstered their season win totals in singles play.

Up Next

The Beacons (8-6) will return home to host Omaha on Saturday at 2 p.m. at The Courts of Northwest Indiana.