The middle of the Valparaiso University women’s tennis lineup was in the limelight on Wednesday, as Meg Modesto (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) and Dao Sysouvanh (Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) garnered victories over Chicago State at third and fourth singles, respectively. However, the host Cougars came away with a 5-2 win at H-F Racquet and Fitness Club in Homewood, Ill.

How It Happened

• Modesto topped Lorea Gamboa in straight sets at No. 3 singles 6-2, 6-2.
• Sysouvanh enjoyed a win in straight sets, besting Leshia Gadacz 6-3, 6-3. The victory allowed Sysouvanh to avenge a 6-4, 6-1 loss to Gadacz when the two faced off in October 2016.
• Jelena Vujanic (Elk Grove Village, Ill. / Elk Grove) played two games against Anastasii Goncharova, but with the first set tied 1-1, a lingering injury prevented Vujanic from continuing. Vujanic fell by retirement for the second straight match.
• Claire Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) started strong at No. 1 singles by taking the opening set from Mariya Kostyuk, but Kostyuk eventually came away with the 2-6, 6-2, 12-10 win in an evenly-matched affair.
• Katarina Drazic topped Randi Wind (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) 6-4, 6-0 at No. 5, while Iesha Shepherd got the best of Jordan Kopfer (Eagan, Minn. / Eastview) 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6.
• The No. 2 doubles team for Valpo (5-14) also gained a win over the Cougars as Modesto and Wind teamed up to top Gadacz and Gamboa 6-3. The Cougars (6-17) won the doubles point by prevailing on the other two courts.

Inside the Match

• Modesto picked up her ninth victory of the season, moving within one win of joining three teammates who have double-figure singles win totals.
• One of those aforementioned players with 10 wins or more is Sysouvanh, who snagged her 11^th on Wednesday.
• Modesto and Wind garnered their third win as a duo. For Modesto it was doubles win No. 11, while Wind notched her seventh of the season.
• This was the third of five straight road matches to close the regular season. It also marked the final nonconference match of the year.

Up Next

The Crusaders will hit the road this weekend for back-to-back matches at Illinois State and Bradley to close out the regular season. The Crusaders and Redbirds will face off on Saturday at 3 p.m.