The Valparaiso University women’s tennis team began the season in pleasant fashion on a picturesque afternoon at the Valpo Tennis Complex as the Crusaders notched a 7-0 victory over Grace College on Thursday. The Crusaders continued to show signs of the program’s forward momentum after enjoying their most successful season in recent memory a year ago. Freshman Isabella Schoolcraft (Bargersville, Ind. / Center Grove) made a victorious debut in doubles, while Valpo’s strong contingent of returning players all racked up wins in the opening match of the fall season.  

How It Happened

• The sophomore duo of Jelena Vujanic (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) and Claire Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) picked up right where they left off last season, cruising to an 8-0 win over Carrie Copeland and Molly Fitzpatrick at first doubles. Doubles play utilized the NAIA format of eight-game pro sets with no ad scoring, but doubles was still scored as one decision.
• Valpo nailed down the doubles point by picking up a win at the No. 3 doubles position as Schoolcraft made her debut alongside junior Jordan Kopfer (Eagan, Minn. / Center Grove). The two topped Grace’s Morgan Mast and Shelby Bankson 8-4.
• With the doubles point already in the bank, the Crusaders edged the Lancers at No. 2 doubles with the all-senior pairing of Randi Wind (Park Ridge, Ill. / Maine South) and Meg Modesto (Chesterton, Ind. / Chesterton) gaining an 8-5 win over Jenna Jackson and Jayna Armstrong.  
• Kopfer was the first to finish in singles play, beating Shelby Bankson in straight sets – 6-0, 6-0.
• The next Crusader to complete her match was Vujanic, who picked up a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Jackson at No. 2 singles.
• Junior Dao Sysouvanh (Sun Prairie, Wis. / Sun Prairie) rolled past Fitzpatrick 6-1, 6-1 at No. 4 to nail down the team win as Valpo opened up a 4-0 lead over Grace.
• Czerwonka prevailed 6-1, 6-4 over Copeland at No. 1 singles shortly before Wind got the best of Mast at No. 5 – 6-1, 6-3.
• The longest match of the day occurred at No. 3, where Modesto began her senior campaign with a long showdown with Armstrong. The fourth-year Crusader eventually helped her team secure the clean sweep of the Lancers by winning 7-6(5), 6-1.  

Inside the Match

• Vujanic and Czerwonka improved to 9-5 all-time when paired together on the doubles court. All of those pairings have come at the No. 1 doubles position. They have won three consecutive doubles matches as a pair and haven’t lost as a duo since April 7 of last season.
• Czerwonka cracked the Top 10 in program history in single-season doubles wins a year ago with 15 and started her sophomore campaign by registering her 16^th career doubles success on Thursday. Vujanic gained her 13^th career doubles triumph.
• Kopfer notched her 17^th career doubles win while helping Schoolcraft to her first collegiate victory at second doubles.
• At No. 3 doubles, Wind’s win was the 15^th of her career, while Modesto’s was her 22^nd, the most among active Crusaders. Wind and Modesto have won six doubles matches as a duo spanning four different seasons.
• Kopfer started her season in victorious fashion, racking up her 12^th career singles triumph.
• Vujanic’s win was the 20^th of her collegiate career and it came in the first match of just her sophomore season. She racked up 19 singles wins, tied for fourth in program history, in 2017-2018 despite having her freshman campaign cut short by an injury.
• Sysouvanh’s win was her 16^th career singles victory, while Wind’s was her 24^th. Czerwonka picked up win No. 15 of her singles career, while Modesto started her senior year with her 21^st career victory.
• Valpo won 7-0 for the first time since opening last year’s spring season with a whitewash win over IUPUI on Jan. 20.

Up Next

The Crusaders will return to action on Saturday, Sept. 8 as they compete in the Cougar Invitational hosted by Chicago State.