The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team won on three singles courts and one doubles court on Sunday at Match Point Tennis Club in Griffith, but visiting UNI captured a dramatic 4-3 victory by virtue of a three-set win at No. 6 singles that dictated the outcome of the match.

How It Happened

• Valpo’s No. 1 doubles team of Claire Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) and Jelena Vujanic (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove) returned to the win column with a 6-2 triumph over Gisela Kemper and Reghan Lynch.
• The Panthers (4-9, 1-1) won on the other doubles courts to take the point. Meg Modesto (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) and Randi Wind (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) fell to Caro Valentina and Harri Proudfoot 6-1 at No. 2, while Dao Sysouvanh (Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) and Jordan Kopfer (Eagan, Minn. / Eastview) dropped the No. 3 match 6-2.
• UNI extended its lead in the team score to 2-0 when Claudia Toledo secured a 6-1, 6-2 win over Modesto.
• The next match to finish was at No. 2, where Vujanic rolled to a 6-4, 6-0 win over Lynch. The Crusaders (5-11, 0-2) knotted the team score at two when Czerwonka secured a 6-4, 7-6(2) victory over Kemper at No. 1.
• UNI went back in front when Caro beat Wind 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 at No. 5. Sysouvanh earned a Valpo win at No. 4 as she recovered from a Set 1 loss to beat Proudfoot 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0.
• With the match tied 3-3, it came down to No. 6 singles, where Kopfer had taken the second set from Hunt 7-6(0) after dropping the opener 6-2.  Kopfer owned a 5-4 lead in the third set, but Hunt rallied to take the final set 7-5.

Inside the Match

• Vujanic is now 18-4 on the year and has moved into a tie with Christina Scala (2001-2002) for seventh in program history for singles wins in a single season.
• Vujanic’s .818 winning percentage would rank fifth all-time if the season ended today.
• Czerwonka grabbed her 14^th win of the season. She needs two more to make her way into Valpo’s all-time Top 10.
• Sysouvanh captured her ninth win of the season and boosted her career total to 14.
• Czerwonka and Vujanic improved to 7-5 as a doubles pair and gained their 13^th and 11^th doubles wins of the season, respectively. Czerwonka needs two more doubles wins to move into Valpo’s single season Top 10 in that area.

Up Next

The Crusaders will hit the road for a Missouri Valley Conference match with Missouri State on Saturday, April 14 at 1 p.m. in Springfield. That will mark Valpo’s first road match in conference play this season.