The Valparaiso University tennis team exhibited a valiant effort on Friday at the ITA Midwest Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich. The Beacons faced members of the Big Ten Conference in multiple matches and put together strong showings, highlighted by a doubles victory for Demi Jhaveri (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) and Elizabeth Sobieski (Muskego, Wis. / Muskego).  

How It Happened

• Jhaveri and Sobieski battled to an 8-7(7) win against the Wisconsin tandem of Anisha Apte and Taylor Cataldi in the opening round of the doubles main draw.
• Jhaveri and Sobieski moved on to Round 2 and teamed up for another strong performance, this time coming up on the wrong end of a tight battle, 8-6 against Michigan’s Nicole Hammond and Bailey Sheinin. Hammond is ranked No. 113 in the nation and enjoyed a 20-win season in 2021-22, while Sheinin is a freshman who was a five-star recruit.
• The top Valpo doubles tandem of Olivia Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) and Moira Silva (Houston, Texas / Houston Tennis Academy) also ran into a Big Ten test in the opening round of the doubles main draw. They succumbed 8-5 to the Ohio State pair of Lucia Marzal – who has been ranked as high as top-75 nationally in her career – and Dani Schoenly.
• Olivia matched up with Wisconsin’s Taylor Cataldi in the first round of the singles main draw and fell 6-4, 7-6(1) in a pair of tightly-contested sets.
• Mia Bertino (Lockport, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) and Amanda Tabanera (Valencia, Calif. / Valencia) also played in the first round of doubles and dropped their match to the Western Michigan tandem of Monko/Rogosch.