The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team fell 7-0 at Western Michigan on Friday afternoon in Kalamazoo. The match was much closer than the final score would indicate, as four of the six singles matches were decided in three sets. In fact, Valpo captured the opening set in all four of those matches.

How It Happened

• Sisters Olivia and Claire Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) held a 4-3 lead in their No. 1 doubles match, but play was halted when the Broncos clinched the doubles point with wins on the other doubles courts.
• Perhaps the closest singles match came at No. 5, where Mia Bertino (Lockport, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) won the opening set 7-6(4) on a tiebreak, then fell 7-5 in a close second set. The match went to a third-set tiebreak, which was also a tight showdown, but Western Michigan’s Kaitlyn Rogosch prevailed 10-8.
• Valpo took the opening set at No. 2 singles, where Claire obtained a 6-4 victory before losing 6-3 in the second. WMU’s Ana Guadiana completed the comeback with a 6-1 win in a traditional third set.
• A third match where Valpo went up a set in a match against a solid Mid-American Conference foe was at No. 3 singles. Amanda Tabanera (Valencia, Calif. / Valencia) used a tiebreak to grab the early lead on Karin Hamilton after a 7-6(5) Set-1 victory. Hamilton won the remaining sets 6-1, 6-1.
• The No. 4 singles match also saw Valpo win the opening set as Demi Jhaveri (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) outlasted Femke Tjon-A-Joe 7-6(9). After falling 6-2 in the second set, Jhaveri dropped the match on a third-set tiebreak, 10-6.

Up Next

Valpo (6-3) will next compete on Saturday, March 5 at 10 a.m. CT at Butler in Indianapolis.