The Valparaiso University men’s tennis team played the first match of its spring trip to the Lone Star State on Tuesday. Host Lamar prevailed in a tight 4-3 showdown at Thompson Family Tennis Center in Beaumont, Texas.

How It Happened

• The Valpo No. 3 doubles tandem of Franklin Brozovich (Fort Gratiot, Mich. / Port Huron Northern) and Gabriel Carvajal (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Broward Virtual School [Florida Atlantic]) earned a victory in the first doubles match to finish, topping Brock Lauer and Blessing Benibo.
• The Cardinals (6-10) grabbed a 6-2 win at No. 2 doubles, leaving the doubles point hanging in the balance with the top tandems in a tight showdown. Brandon Ancona (Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Christian) and Brian Pecyna (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / Homeschooled) incurred a 7-6(3) setback on a tiebreak at one doubles, falling to Nicolas Mayr and Axel Vila Antuna.
• Brozovich was the first singles player off the court, rolling past Benibo 6-3, 6-1 at No. 6. The bottom of the Valpo lineup continued to get the job done when freshman Philipp Leithold (Esslingen, Germany / Theodor-Huess Gymnasium) finalized a 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Joshua Sundaram at No. 5.
• Carvajal fell 6-4, 6-4 to Mayr at No. 3, then Vila Antuna wrapped up his 7-5, 6-4 win over Ancona at No. 1 to put Lamar up 3-2.
• A three-set battle at No. 4 allowed the Cardinals to clinch the match as Filippo Salsini edged Daniel Langston (Ponca City, Okla. / Ponca City) 6-2, 1-6, 6-2. In the last match remaining, Pecyna prevailed in close second and third sets to beat Carlos Paton Canal 3-6, 6-4, 7-5.

Inside the Match

• Five of the nine matches Valpo has played this year have been decided by a 4-3 score. Valpo is 2-3 in such matches.  
• Brozovich picked up his fifth singles win of the season and his third in dual play.
• Leithold upped his win total to 11 for the year including a 3-2 mark in dual action.
• Pecyna boosted his season singles win total to 12, moving into a tie with Carvajal for the team lead. He is 6-3 this spring. The Valpo senior is up to 52 career wins.
• Brozovich gained his seventh doubles win as did Carvajal. They have four victories as a pair and are 4-3 this spring.

Up Next

Valpo (4-5) will visit No. 27 Baylor on Wednesday night in Waco, Texas. The battle with the Bears is slated to get underway at 6 p.m. with links to live video and stats courtesy of Baylor Athletics available on ValpoAthletics.com. Baylor associate head coach Michael Woodson played and coached for head coach Jim Daugherty at Valpo before accepting his current position.