The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team lost Saturday’s match at Missouri State 5-2, but the two team points came in dramatic fashion as the Crusaders won a thrilling match at No. 2 singles and battled their way to the doubles point with a pair of climactic wins. Jelena Vujanic (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove) enjoyed the lone Valpo singles triumph of the afternoon at Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Mo.

How It Happened

• Vujanic won the opening set of her No. 2 singles match 6-2, but then Anelisse Torrico gained a 6-4 win in the second set. Vujanic nailed down the victory in a third-set tiebreak with a 10-6 win.
• The No. 3 doubles combo of Dao Sysouvanh (Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) and Jordan Kopfer (Eagan, Minn. / Eastview) was on the wrong end of a 6-1 score against Fati Khamissi and Alexia Meyer, but the Crusaders prevailed in thrilling fashion on the other two doubles courts.
• Meg Modesto (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) and Randi Wind (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) were down 15-40, but won four straight points to nail down a 7-5 win over Torrico and Phoebe Boeschen at No. 2.  
• The doubles point then hinged on the No. 1 spot, where Claire Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) and Vujanic trailed 4-5 and 5-6 but pulled out a dramatic 7-6(6) win over Alye Darter and Ellie Burger.
• The Bears (7-8, 2-1) beat the Crusaders (5-12, 0-3) on the remaining five singles courts to capture the match.

Inside the Match

• Vujanic is now 19-4 on the year and has moved into a three-way tie for fourth in program history for singles wins in a season. She is deadlocked with Christina Scala (2004-2005), Whitney Chada (2004-2005) and Rachel Janssen (2006-2007).
• Vujanic’s .826 winning percentage would rank tied for fourth all-time if the season ended today.
• Czerwonka and Vujanic improved to 8-5 as a doubles pair and gained their 14^th and 12^th doubles wins of the season, respectively. Czerwonka needs one more doubles win to move into Valpo’s single season Top 10 in that area.
• Modesto and Wind gained their first win as a doubles combination.

Up Next

The Crusaders will step outside of Missouri Valley Conference play on Sunday as they head to St. Louis, Mo. to face off with Saint Louis at 10:30 a.m. CT.