Saturday, April 25, 2009

The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team’s 2009 season came to an end on Saturday morning with a hard-fought 4-2 loss to Wright State in the consolation draw of the Horizon League Championships held in Indianapolis, Ind.

Valpo, the tournament’s ninth seed, won third doubles as Lindsey Gustafson (Naperville, Ill./Benet Academy) and Julie Wingstrom (Dallas Lake, Ind./Westview H.S.) notched an 8-4 victory over Kelsey Miles and Monica Capozziello.  Wright State (3-20) won at first and second doubles though, to capture the day’s first point.  Masha Peresetsky and Kenisha Webb defeated Kim Sajevic (Woodbury, Minn./Woodbury H.S.) and Molly Keifer (Richmond, Ind./Richmond H.S.) 8-4 at number one while Jackie Garrett and Karina Presti won by the same score against Katie Bilyeu (Terre Haute, Ind./South Vigo H.S.) and Stephanie York (Elkhart, Ind./Jimtown H.S.).

The Raiders, the eighth seed, increased the lead to 3-0 early in singles as Webb defeated Bilyeu 6-3, 6-1 at third singles while Peresetsky downed Keifer 6-4, 6-2 at the second spot.  Valpo then rallied, with Gustafson defeated Capozziello 6-1, 6-4 at the fifth spot in her last collegiate match as a senior.  Christine Antrobus (Fort Wayne, Ind./Homestead H.S.) cut the deficit to 3-2 with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Miles at sixth singles.  Wright State won a three-set match at the top though to clinch the match as Presti came from behind to defeat Sajevic 3-6, 7-5, 6-1.  York led Garrett in the third set 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-0 when the match was stopped.

“The girls played great,” head coach Traci Young said.  “They showed a lot of heard today but came up just a little short.”

Valparaiso’s season comes to a close with a 1-22 record overall.