Senior Chad Kissell (Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe) and junior Gabriel Carvajal both picked up singles wins on Sunday afternoon, but the Valparaiso University men’s tennis team fell 5-2 to Marquette at Match Point Tennis Club in Griffith. That marked the team’s first setback of the season.

How It Happened

• The doubles point went in favor of the Golden Eagles with Kissell and Brian Pecyna falling 6-4 at No. 2 and Franklin Brozovich and Daniel Langston dropping their match 6-3 at No. 3. Brandon Ancona and Kweisi Kenyatte were locked in a 5-5 tie with Marquette’s No. 1 doubles pair when play was stopped.
• All six singles matches ended in straight sets. Kissell downed Luke Smrek 6-2, 7-5 at No. 2, while Carvajal prevailed 6-4, 6-3 at No. 6 against Fran San Andres.
• Ancona (6-4, 6-3), Kenyatte (6-2, 7-6(3)), Pecyna (7-5, 6-3) and Langston (6-2, 6-2) came out on the wrong end of their singles matches.

Inside the Match

• Kissell’s win was the 68^th of his career, the eighth-most in the history of men’s tennis at Valpo. His next victory will allow him to climb into a tie for sixth. He is a perfect 3-0 this season after missing the fall campaign with an injury.
• Carvajal upped his record to 8-6 on the season including 3-0 this spring.

Up Next

A five-match homestand will continue on Saturday as Valpo (2-1) hosts Youngstown State at 2 p.m. That contest will take place at Match Point Tennis Club in Griffith. The last time those two teams met was a thrilling Horizon League semifinal in 2017 that saw Valpo prevail 4-3.