The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team’s season came to a close on Sunday with a 5-2 loss to Detroit Mercy at the Valpo Tennis Complex. It may not be reflected in the form of victories, but the Crusaders (2-18, 1-8 Horizon) showed significant signs of improvement down the stretch, winning at least two matches in each of their last five. Seniors Paige Heuer (Munster, Ind. / Munster), Kathleen Hebble (Sellersburg, Ind. / Silver Creek) and Morgan Paras (Indianapolis, Ind. / Bishop Chatard) all participated in the final matches of their collegiate careers on Sunday.

How It Happened

• Heuer went out on a high note, beating Marie Maitrot 7-6 (8-6), 7-5 at No. 2 singles. Heuer fended off a comeback by Maitrot in Set 1 after getting out to a 5-2 lead, then pulled off a comeback of her own after trailing 5-2 in the second.
• Heuer and Hebble also found some come-from-behind magic in their No. 1 doubles match against Maitrot and Iris Thioux, winning 7-6 (6-4) after facing a 5-1 deficit.
• Freshman Dao Sysouvanh (Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) continued her recent success, defeating Ksenia Providokhina 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (11-9) in a long No. 6 singles match.
• Meg Modesto (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) lost her first set 6-2 then turned around to win the second 6-2, forcing a decisive third. Thioux pulled out the 6-3 win over Modesto at No. 3 singles.
• Randi Wind (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) moved up to No. 4 and lost her match to Synke Van Der Goot 6-3, 6-2.
• Jordan Kopfer (Eagan, Minn. / Sun Prairie) fell to Pauline Van Herck 6-4, 6-2 at No. 5 singles, while Kathleen Hebble (Sellersburg, Ind. / Silver Creek) dropped her No. 1 singles match to Anna Davydova 6-1, 6-3.
• The Titans (10-11, 6-3 Horizon) won the doubles point as Modesto and Wind fell 6-3 at No. 2 and Paras and Erin Staal (Grand Haven, Mich. / Grand Haven) lost 6-1 at No. 3.

Inside the Match

• Heuer finishes the season with four singles wins, including back-to-back victories this weekend. Three of her wins came in her last four league matches, allowing her to finish strong.
• Heuer picked up her 41^st career doubles win, finishing in eighth in program history. Hebble finishes 10^th in program history with 32 doubles triumphs.
• Hebble and Heuer took over sole possession of 10^th place in Valpo history in single-season doubles wins by capturing their 15^th on Sunday. They became the first Valpo women’s players to win 15 doubles matches in a single season in 11 years.
• Sysouvanh notched her fifth victory and her team-leading fourth league win. She was victorious in the last four Horizon League matches of the year.
• Wind finished the season with 11 singles wins, the most of any Crusader in the last decade.