Sophomores Amanda Tabanera (Valencia, Calif. / Valencia) and Olivia Czerwonka (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy) each earned straight-set wins in singles play, but the Valparaiso University women’s tennis team fell 5-2 to visiting Milwaukee on Friday evening at The Courts of Northwest Indiana. Olivia and her older sister Claire teamed up for a victory at No. 1 doubles.

How It Happened

• The Czerwonka sisters battled their way to a 7-5 triumph over Milwaukee’s Greta Carbone and Iva Stejskalova at the top doubles spot, but the Panthers (4-1) took the point by winning the remaining doubles matches.
• Olivia dropped just two games while cruising to a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Mayya Perova at second singles.
• Tabanera’s singles triumph also came in straight sets as she downed Nikki Milner 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 3 position.
• Several of Valpo’s defeats were tightly-contested, including the lone three-set match of the night at No. 5, where Isabella Schoolcraft (Bargersville, Ind. / Center Grove) fell despite winning the middle set 6-2. In addition, Mia Bertino (Lockport, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) forced a tiebreak in a close opening set, but eventually dropped her No. 4 singles match in straight sets, 7-6(4), 6-2.

Inside the Match

• Olivia and Claire picked up their second doubles victory of the year and fifth overall as a duo. The younger Czerwonka garnered her 15^th career doubles win, while her older sister recorded her 42^nd. Claire snapped a tie with Paige Heuer (2013-2017) to move into sole possession of eighth in the program record book for career doubles wins. She needs four more to join a tie for sixth.
• Olivia’s singles win was her second of the year, while Tabanera also earned victory number two during her 2021 campaign.
• Olivia boasts 15 career singles wins, 13 of which came during her freshman season. Tabanera is up to 18 career singles wins after notching a team-high 16 a year ago.
• Olivia’s win came over an accomplished opponent, as Perova was the 2018-19 Horizon League Freshman of the Year and a member of the all-Horizon League squad as a rookie.

Up Next 

Valpo (1-4) will continue a busy home weekend by hosting DePaul on Saturday at 3 p.m. before rounding out the weekend with a home match against Bowling Green on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Blue Demons (2-1), who haven’t played since Feb. 4 at Notre Dame, own victories over a pair of Missouri Valley Conference teams, Illinois State and Bradley. The Falcons (1-1) play at Xavier on Saturday before making their way to Valpo for Sunday’s match, the first meeting between the two teams since 2012.