A long and winding regular season reached its apex Sunday afternoon for the Valpo men's tennis team. The Crusaders rode a wave of momentum from doubles play into an overwhelming 7-0 victory over visiting Cleveland State at the Valpo Tennis Complex.

The triumph swelled the Brown and Gold's winning streak to ten matches and capped off both a 13-0 home slate and a 6-0 run in Horizon League play.

The Vikings made the Crusaders work for the doubles point, forcing tiebreakers at No. 1 and 3. Dave Bacalla (Skokie, Ill/Niles North) and Garrett Gardner (Poland, Ohio/Poland) gave Valpo some breathing room when they dispatched Colton Buffington/Kevin Goth 6-2 at No. 2. Seniors Danny Oakes (Elburn, Ill./Saint Charles North) and Lucas Waak (Manitowoc, Wis./Roncalli) went back-and-forth with Mirko Radosevic and Ben Slade at No. 3 doubles. The Viking duo emerged with a 7-4 victory in a tiebreaker. 

With the opening point resting in the balance at No. 1, Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio/Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind./Carmel) fought back from a 5-3 deficit against Joe VanMeter/Andre Mick. Schorsch/Emhardt forced a tiebreaker where they outscored the Viking tandem, 7-4.

The effects of the dramatic victory were felt in singles action where Valpo registered straight-set wins at each flight.

Schorsch opened with a 6-3, 6-3 dismissal of VanMeter at No. 1. Freshman Chad Kissell (Latrobe, Pa./Greater Latrobe) upended Radosevic 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2.

Bacalla defeated Buffington at No. 3 by a count of 7-6 (0), 6-3 to secure the match for the Crusaders. Senior Michael Savaglio (Kenosha, Wis./Mary D. Bradford) picked up his 69th career singles triumph at No. 5 when he downed Goth 7-6 (3), 6-1. Gardner ran his record to 15-5 in singles play this spring after knocking off Slade, 7-6 (4), 6-1. 

Kyle Dunn (Fond du Lac, Wis./Fond du Lac) slammed the door shut at No. 6 with a 7-5, 6-3 win over William Malm. 

Valpo concluded the regular season with a 20-5 overall record and a 6-0 mark in Horizon League play. In addition to securing the outright league title, the Brown and Gold rattled off a 13-0 home record.

The Crusaders will begin preparations for the Horizon League Championships to be held next week in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The team has earned a bye into the semifinals, where it'll face the winner of the quarterfinal tilt between the No. 4 and 5 seed. Valpo's semifinal match is slated for Saturday, April 30th at 3 pm ET/2 pm CT at Preston Robert Tisch Building in Ann Arbor.