The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team continued its spring break trip on a picturesque day at the University of California Riverside on Saturday afternoon. The two teams played under cloudless blue skies with temperatures soaring into the 90s, a mountain backdrop, a light breeze and bright sunshine overhead. The final score was the only thing less than stellar on an otherwise perfect day in the Golden State as Valpo fell 5-2 in a tightly-contested match. 

How It Happened

• Randi Wind secured Valpo’s lone singles win of the day, taking care of business at No. 6 singles with a 6-1, 7-6(3) win over Nicole Hitomi.
• The Crusaders (1-9) won the doubles point with wins at each of the top two doubles spots. The dynamic doubles duo of Kathleen Hebble and Paige Heuer beat California Riverside’s Kayla Dulay and Natalie Penner 6-1.
• In addition to winning her singles showdown, Wind made a key contribution to the doubles point as she joined forces with Meg Modesto at No. 2 doubles and defeated Sara Khattab and Tamilla Vaksman 6-4.
• The Crusaders’ No. 3 doubles team of Dao Sysouvanh and Halle Roach fell 6-3.
• Valpo dropped dramatic three-set affairs at No. 1 and No. 3 singles. Hebble won the first set at No. 1 6-1, but Dulay rebounded with 7-5, 6-2 victories to take the match.
• Modesto bounced back after losing the first set to Tracy Van 6-3 to win Set 2 6-3, but then she incurred a 6-3 defeat in the decisive set.
• Khattab got the better of Heuer in straight sets at No. 2, but the match was extremely competitive. Khattab won the first set 6-4 before nailing down the match with a 7-6(0) triumph in the second set.
• Jordan Kopfer dropped her No. 4 singles match to Lauren Wolfe 6-1, 7-5.
• Sysouvanh was on the wrong end of a 6-2, 6-2 match at No. 5 singles.

Inside the Match

• The Highlanders (4-7) have won three matches in a row after a 1-7 start.
• Wind notched her seventh singles win of the year, extending her team lead. She has now won back-to-back matches.
• Hebble and Heuer were also victorious for the second straight day. They extended their team-high doubles win total to 12.
• This was the second time this year Wind and Modesto have played doubles together. It was their first victory as a combo.

Next Up

The Crusaders will be back in the Midwest the next time they take the court as they visit Youngstown State for the Horizon League opener on Saturday, March 25 at 2 p.m. Central Time. The Penguins are the preseason favorite to win the league.