The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team extended the program’s longest winning streak in 14 years to four on Saturday afternoon at The Courts of Northwest Indiana in Valparaiso, downing visiting Oakland 6-1. The team has strung together four victories in a row for the first time since April 2007.

How It Happened

• Valpo won the doubles point for the fourth consecutive match after struggling to do so over the first eight matches of the season. The reigning Missouri Valley Conference Doubles Team of the Week, Claire and Olivia Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy), extended their winning streak to five with a 6-2 victory at the top spot.
• The No. 2 doubles team of Demi Jhaveri (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) and Allison McConnell (Westland, Mich. / Churchill) also chalked up a victory with a 6-2 triumph. Valpo won No. 3 doubles by forfeit.
• Jhaveri was the first singles player off the court with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Emma Hultqvist at No. 5, while Olivia was the other Valpo player to triumph in straight sets, besting Nirva Patel 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2. Olivia, the reigning MVC Singles Player of the Week, notched the victory that secured the team triumph as Valpo also owned a win by forfeit at sixth singles.
• The other three matches all went to third-set tiebreaks. Valpo was victorious in two of those, with Claire topping Yasmin Glazbrook 6-2, 2-6, 10-8 at the No. 1 position before Mia Bertino (Lockport, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) put the finishing touches on a 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 win over Mia Melnizki in a battle of Mias at No. 3. Isabella Schoolcraft (Bargersville, Ind. / Center Grove) dropped her No. 4 singles match in a tight and lengthy third set tiebreak, falling 6-3, 1-6, 14-12.

Inside the Match

• Valpo has already secured five victories this season, matching the program’s win total from a year ago and surpassing last season’s spring-only win total. This marks the first time Valpo has won five matches during the spring slate since 2007 and this ties last season for the program’s highest overall win total since 2006-2007.
• This is Valpo’s first four-match winning streak since a string of victories over Southern Utah, Centenary, UMKC and Western Illinois in April 2007. The team’s last five-match winning streak was April 2006.
• Claire cracked the Top 5 in program history in career doubles wins, advancing into a tie for fifth with Kate Evangelist (2003-2007) by collecting her 47^th career triumph. In addition, the Valpo senior earned her 42^nd career singles win, which ranks ninth in program history, three away from jumping into a tie for eighth.
• Olivia leads the team with six singles wins this season, while Bertino, Claire and Jhaveri own five apiece. The Czerwonka sisters pace the squad in doubles with a 7-5 mark.
• The McConnell-Jhaveri doubles combo has proved to be a successful pairing as the two have compiled a 3-1 mark since joining forces.

Up Next 

Valpo (5-7) will have a weekend off before returning to action to host Butler in the nonconference finale on March 27.