The Valparaiso University tennis team will play for a spot in the Missouri Valley Conference title match on Saturday.

The Beacons checked off another goal during a season filled with achievements that exemplify the program’s progress, besting Stony Brook 4-1 in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament on Friday morning in Des Moines, Iowa. This marks the program’s first league tournament victory since 2006.

How It Happened

• The match got off to a strong start for the Beacons, who captured the doubles point by garnering wins at No. 1 and No. 3. The top tandem of Claire and Olivia Czerwonka (Kenosha Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) topped Mathilde Sreeves and Loretto Del Carmen Villalba Rubio 6-3, while Mia Bertino (Lockport, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) and Demi Jhaveri (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) prevailed 6-2 over Carmen Victoria Villalba Rubio and Sara Annamaria Medved at No. 3 doubles. The No. 2 doubles match went unfinished.
• A day after winning the MVC Player of the Year Award, Olivia rolled to a straight-set victory over Mathilde Sreeves, 6-2, 6-2.
• Amanda Tabanera (Valencia, Calif. / Valencia) continued her strong season at third singles, making quick work of Loretto Del Carmen Villalba Rubio in a 6-2, 6-0 sweep.
• Jhaveri won the clinching match, besting Chandrika Joshia 6-3, 6-2 at No. 4 singles to send Valpo to the semifinal round of the league tournament. The Seawolves won at No. 2 singles, while No. 5 and No. 6 singles went unfinished in the clinch-clinch format.

Inside the Match

• The Czerwonka sisters picked up their 20^th win of the season, moving into a tie for the program record for single-season doubles wins. They became the first Valpo players to finish with 20 doubles wins in a season since 2005 and join three others tied atop the program record book in that category – Kate Kollarova (2000-2001), Mara Sonkin (2000-2001) and Whitney Chada (2004-2005). The sisters need one more to win to set the outright program record for single-season doubles victories.
• Speaking of program records, Claire’s doubles win was the 72^nd of her career, already a program watermark. Olivia now owns 45 career doubles victories, eighth in program history and one away from a tie for seventh.
• Olivia garnered her 22^nd singles victory of the season, the third most in single-season program history. Kate Kollarova owns the top two spots in the program record book with 29 singles wins in 2000-2001 and 23 in 2001-2002.
• This marked Olivia’s 46^th career singles win, elevating her into sole possession of ninth in the program record book. She snapped a tie with Monika Danko (2001-2005, 45).
• Tabanera registered her 41^st career singles win and 18^th of the season. Tabanera ranks 11^th in the program record book, needing four more wins to join the top 10. In the single-season record book, Tabanera has advanced to a tie for ninth in program history with Christina Scala (2001-2002, 18), moving ahead of Mara Sonkin (2001-2002, 17) and Kate Evangelist (2005-2006, 17) with Friday’s win.
• Bertino played her first doubles match of the season and notched her first career doubles victory. Jhaveri picked up her ninth doubles win of the campaign.  
• This marks the program’s first conference-tournament victory since 2006.
• Valpo played Stony Brook for the first time since a first-round MVC Tournament match on April 27, 2018, a 4-1 win for the Seawolves.
• With the team’s 11^th victory of the season, Valpo has now tied the 2007 squad for the team’s most wins in a single season since 2006.

Up Next

The Beacons (11-11) advance to face top-seeded, host Drake on Saturday at 10 a.m. for a spot in Sunday’s Missouri Valley Conference title match. A link to live scoring is available on ValpoAthletics.com.