The Valparaiso University tennis team won seven of 11 matches and had all three doubles tandems come away victorious on the opening day of the 2026 Redbird Invitational, hosted by Illinois State. The event has become an unofficial Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships, serving as a fall measuring stick against conference peers.
 
How It Happened

• Valpo went 3-0 in doubles, with the top tandem of Alexandra Popa (Glenview, Ill. / Glenbrook South) and Lacey Tanner (Fort Pierce, Fla. / Florida Virtual School) leading the way by picking up an 8-6 win over Drake's Dookie/Noor to advance to the semifinals.
• The remaining doubles teams were victorious as well, with Brynn Steven (Wichita, Kan. / Bishop Carroll) and Cathy Beckmann (Indianapolis, Ind. / Bishop Chatard) garnering an 8-5 victory over Belmont's Sokolovic/Popiol.
• Jolene Fernandes (Calgary, Alberta, Canada) and Andrea Delgado (Richmond, Texas / Foster [Dallas Baptist]) pulled away for an 8-4 win over Illinois State's Lindh/Lowe.  
• At No. 4 Singles, Fernandes picked up a straight-set win over Murray State's Ilouna Aneca, prevailing 6-2 in the first and 7-5 in the second.
• The fifth singles match saw Delgado rally for a three-set win over UNI's Kayla Ruth Santosa, dropping just two games over the final two sets to win 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
• Beckmann went the distance against Illinois State's Emma McLeod and continued the strong start to her freshman season with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 victory.  

Thoughts from Head Coach James Gleghorn
"Sweeping the doubles was a great way to start the tournament! We are playing really well and controlling the middle of the net. Lacey and Alexandra came back from a break down twice and won a hard fought 8-6 match."
 
"In singles, Jolene, Cathy and Andrea continue to shine! They fought really well through windy conditions and strong opponents. We continue to improve at the top of the lineup and we will get a breakthrough soon."
 
"Winning seven of 11 matches today was exciting and I really am looking forward to hopefully putting several lines into the finals."
 
Up Next
Play will continue on Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. All three Valpo doubles tandems will play semifinal matches on Saturday.