The Valparaiso University men’s tennis team gave Big Ten foe Wisconsin all it could handle on Saturday, but the Badgers pulled out a 4-3 victory in Madison, Wis. Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg), Chad Kissell (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) all posted singles wins for the Crusaders, who drop to 1-1 on the season.

How It Happened

• Schorsch downed Josef Dodridge in straight sets 7-5, 6-4.
• Kissell also prevailed in his match, eking out a tightly-contested three-set affair with Chema Carranza. Kissell lost the first set 6-1, but then claimed 7-6 (7-0), 6-4 wins to grab the match.
• The third win for the Crusaders came at No. 5 singles, as Emhardt defeated Osgar O’Hoisin in convincing fashion, 6-2, 6-2.
• Valpo’s No. 1 doubles team of Schorsch and Emhardt bested Wisconsin’s Josef Dodridge and Chema Carranza 6-4.
• The Badgers captured the doubles point by virtue of victories at No. 2 and No. 3. Lamar Remy and Chase Colton teamed up to top Dave Bacalla (Skokie, Ill. / Niles North) and Kissell 6-4, while Brandon Ancona (Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Christian) and Daniel Langston (Ponca City, Okla. / Ponca City) fell to John Zordani and O’Hoisin 6-2 at No. 3.
• Remy got the better of Bacalla at No. 3 singles, 6-0, 6-3, while Daniel Soyfer nipped Ancona (Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Christian) 7-6, 6-4 at No. 6.
• Senior Kyle Dunn (Fond du Lac, Wis. / Fond du Lac) won the first set at No. 4 singles against Colton 6-4, but Colton rallied with 6-4, 6-2 wins to take the match and clinch the win for Wisconsin. The Dunn vs. Colton match was the last to finish, with the team result hinging on its outcome.

Inside the Match

• Schorsch extends his own career singles record with each victory. The senior has now racked up 92 wins in his Valpo career and stands at 8-5 this season.
• Schorsch’s win came against quality competition, as Dodridge won 19 matches a year ago and was second-team all Big Ten as a freshman in 2015.
• Emhardt’s singles victory was the 77^th of his career, the most in Valpo history. He now stands at 8-5 this season.
• The win for Schorsch and Emhardt marked the second victory against a Wisconsin duo so far this season. They also topped Remy and Colton 8-7 on Oct. 20. Schorsch and Emhardt avenged a defeat 7-6 (7-5) to Dodridge and Remy from last year’s dual match.
• The win at No. 1 doubles allowed Schorsch and Emhardt to further distance themselves from the pack on Valpo’s all-time wins list. Emhardt is Valpo’s all-time leader with 98 career doubles wins, while Schorsch is right behind with 94 doubles triumphs.
• The win for Kissell helped him to atone for a loss to Wisconsin last season, which came against Remy. He bumped his record to 9-3, moving into a tie with Dunn for the team lead in singles wins.

Next Up

The Crusaders are set to crank up the home portion of their season with a match against rival Butler on Friday, Feb. 3 at 1 p.m. at The Courts of NWI. The clash with the Bulldogs will be the first of back-to-back home matches, as the Crusaders welcome in William & Mary on Sunday, Feb. 5 at noon, also at The Courts of NWI.