Crusader Season Ends with Horizon League Tournament Loss to Wright State
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Crusader Season Ends with Horizon League Tournament Loss to Wright State
Lindsey Gustafson won at singles and doubles in her career finale (Ray Acevedo)

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.