This one seemingly goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyway: Valparaiso University tennis junior Olivia Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) is the Missouri Valley Conference Singles Player of the Week.

Czerwonka enjoyed a perfect 2-0 weekend at No. 1 singles including a significant victory over Illinois State’s Tijana Zlatanovic in straight sets on Friday, 6-4, 6-4. She handed Zlatanovic the first conference loss of her collegiate career. The win came over the defending MVC Singles Player of the Year, the reigning MVC Singles Player of the Week and the Fall 2021 MVC Flight 1 Singles Champion.

Czerwonka followed that by dropping just two games in a dominant 6-2, 6-0 win over Bradley’s Bozana Lojpur at No. 1 singles on Saturday to wrap up the perfect weekend. Lojpur is a two-time all-conference honoree and former MVC Flight 2 Singles champion. With the two victories this weekend, Olivia moved into a tie for ninth in program history with 45 career singles wins and moved into sole possession of third in program history in single-season singles wins with 21.

The victories this week allowed the Valpo junior to finish with a 4-1 conference record at No. 1 singles. This marks the sixth MVC weekly honor hauled in by the Beacons this season, while Czerwonka has now won nine career MVC weekly awards.

Having already clinched the team’s highest win totals – both overall and in conference play – since 2007, Valpo will begin the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday at 9 a.m. vs. Stony Brook in Des Moines, Iowa.