The Valparaiso University men’s tennis team hadn’t taken the court for a match since March 12, but the Crusaders continued their winning ways as they returned to action on Saturday afternoon at Youngstown State’s Boardman Tennis Center. The host Penguins became the latest victim for a red-hot Valpo team that secured its 14^th straight win with a 7-0 Horizon League triumph.

How It Happened

• As they so often do, the Crusaders started the match by notching the doubles point. Seniors Jeffrey Schorsch (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg) and Charlie Emhardt (Carmel, Ind. / Carmel) played together at No. 1 doubles and eked out a 6-4 victory over Youngstown State’s Mitch Maroscher and Thomas Rodrigues.
• The other two doubles matches were also tight, with Dave Bacalla (Skokie, Ill. / Niles North) and Chad Kissell (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) utilizing a tiebreaker at No. 2. They beat freshman Joao Garretto and sophomore Danylo Veremeichuk 7-6 (7-4).
• Kyle Dunn (Fond du Lac, Wis. / Fond du Lac) and Garrett Gardner (Poland, Ohio / Poland) trailed 5-4 at No. 3 doubles, but their match went unfinished.
• The first singles player to complete his match was Schorsch, who wasted no time in dispatching Maroscher 6-3, 6-1 at No. 1.
• Kissell was nearly as dominant at No. 2 singles, defeating Matthew Kritzinger 6-3, 6-2.
• Emhardt got the nod at No. 3 singles and prevailed 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 over Danylo Veremeichuk. His win clinched the team victory for Valpo.
• Bacalla also engaged in a good battle, his with Rondrigues at No. 4 singles. He came away with a 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 win.
• Dunn and Garretto played a long match at No. 5 singles, with Dunn coming out on top 6-4, 6-4.
• Luke Purser won Youngstown State’s only set of the day at No. 6 singles. Gardner still came away with the match win, defeating Purser 6-2, 6-7 (6-8), 10-3.

Inside the Match

• The Crusaders now own a 15-1 record and have rapped off 14 straight victories. They’re off to a 2-0 start to Horizon League play. This was the league opener for the Penguins.
• Schorsch stayed unblemished in dual matches and ran his winning streak to 12. He has not dropped a single set this spring.
• The singles win was the 102^nd of Schorsch’s career. Dunn and Emhardt remain tied for second in program history, as both notched their 84^th career singles win on Saturday.
• Emhardt and Schorsch have now won six straight matches when playing together. They stand at 17-6 as a duo this season.

Next Up

The Crusaders will have a tough match on Sunday as they visit Cleveland State at 9 a.m. CT. A link to live stats is available on ValpoAthletics.com. The Vikings were picked to finish second in the Horizon League preseason poll, with the Crusaders tabbed as league favorites. Cleveland State is 6-10 overall and won its league opener 6-1 over UIC on Saturday.