The Valparaiso University tennis team found itself deadlocked 3-3 with the No. 6 Singles match being played for all the marbles on Saturday afternoon at The Courts of Northwest Indiana. Junior Jolene Fernandes (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) met the big moment, winning her third set 6-3 over Butler's Elle Martin to help the Beacons to a 4-3 victory in the instate rivalry match. This marked Valpo's first win over Butler since 2007.
 
How It Happened

• After Butler took the No. 3 Doubles match 6-3, Valpo needed to win each of the top two, and both were tightly contested. The Bulldogs edged out a 7-5 victory on Court 1, halting play on the second singles court with the match deadlocked at six.
• The Bulldogs rolled to a straight-set victory at No. 4 Singles to go up 2-0 in the team score, but Lacey Tanner (Fort Pierce, Fla. / Florida Virtual School) grinded out a close 7-5 win in Set 1 before rolling to six straight games in Set 2, beating Sophie Parr at No. 3 Singles.
• Butler then wrapped up the No. 2 Singles match to go up 3-1 in the team match, putting the Bulldogs on the brink of a victory as Valpo needed to win on all three remaining singles courts.
• A three-setter at No. 1 saw senior Moira Silva (Houston, Texas / Westside) bounce back in a big way from an opening set that saw Butler's Chase Metcalf win six of the seven games. After taking the second set 6-4 to stay alive, Silva flipped the script in the third and clinched her match with a 6-1 victory.
• The No. 5 Singles competition saw Andrea Delgado (Richmond, Texas / Foster [Dallas Baptist]) beat Sienna Miles in straight sets. After cruising to a 6-1 win in the first, she battled to a 7-5 triumph in the second.
• All eyes turned to the No. 6 Singles match, where Fernandes won 6-3 in the opening set before falling 6-2 in the second. She secured a 6-3 win in the decisive match, and was mobbed by her teammates as the Beacons completed the comeback victory.

Inside the Match

• Saturday's victory snapped an 11-match head-to-head losing streak against Butler. This represented Valpo's first victory over the Bulldogs since Feb. 2, 2007, a 5-2 triumph in Indianapolis.
• This marked Valpo's first 4-3 match of the season after the Beacons went 0-4 in matches decided by the slimmest of margins last season. This win stopped a seven-match losing streak in 4-3 matches and marked Valpo's first such victory since beating Omaha on March 16, 2024.
• Silva's singles win was the 56^th of her career and her 104^th combined win between singles and doubles. She ranks seventh in program history and is one win away from moving into a tie for sixth.
• Silva's win came over Metcalf, who was a unanimous All-Big East First Team selection last season.
• Tanner garnered her fifth singles win of the season and the 15^th of her career.
• Fernandes achieved her fourth singles win of the year, moving her career total to 31.
• Delgado picked up her seventh singles victory in her first season with the Beacons.

Up Next
The Beacons (5-2) will not have long to bask in the glory of Saturday's victory, as they face a quick turnaround with Western Illinois coming to town on Sunday morning for a 10 a.m. first serve at The Courts of Northwest Indiana.