Redbirds Win MVC Opener On The Road At Valparaiso, 4-3

VALPARAISO, Ind. – Missouri Valley Conference action officially began on Saturday afternoon for Illinois State, as the Redbirds traveled to Valparaiso, Indiana, to take on the Valparaiso Beacons. The Redbirds (12-4, 1-0 MVC) took and early lead and then held on during the singles matches to pick up a hard-fought win over the Beacons (10-4, 0-1 MVC) at The Valpo Tennis Complex.

ISU took the early advantage, winning the doubles points with victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. Nicole Iosio and Nuria Sanz picked up a quick 6-2 win over Moira Silva and Brynn Steven at the No. 2 spot for the first win of the match. Then, the No. 3 tandem of Emma Lindh and Vittoria Benedetti defeated Madi Rogers and Andrea Delgado by a score of 6-2 to secure the doubles point. Just for good measure, the No. 1 duo of Lana Caculovic and Silvia Pomarolli earned a tough tiebreaker 7-6 (7-4) over Lacey Tanner and Alexandra Popa to sweep the doubles matches.

As the action moved to singles, the Beacons tied up the match with a win at the No. 1 spot.  Iosio then defeated Steven in straight sets 6-2, 6-1 to give the Redbirds a 2-1 advantage. Once again, Valpo battled back to tie the match with a win at the No. 2 spot but ISU would take the lead again at 3-2, after Benedetti earned a 6-4, 6-2 win over Tanner at the No. 3 spot. Nuria Sanz would then clinch the match for the Redbirds at No. 5, as she secured a 6-3, 6-4 win over Degaldo for the fourth point of the match. Valpo would take the final singles match in a three-set tiebreaker on court No. 6 to bring the score to its final at 6-3.

The Redbirds continue their MVC opening weekend road trip on Sunday, when they head to Chicago for a match at UIC (8-6, 1-0 MVC) which won its league opener on Saturday afternoon against Bradley. First serve is set for Noon CT at the XS Tennis Village.

FINAL SCORE: Illinois State (4), Valparaiso (3)

Doubles: 
No. 1 Lana Caculovic/Silvia Pomarolli (ILS) def. Lacey Tanner/Alexandra Popa (VALPO) 7-6 (7-4)
No. 2 Nicole Iosio/Nuria Sanz (ILS) def. Moira Silva/Brynn Steven (VALPO) 6-2
No. 3 Emma Lindh/Vittoria Benedetti (ILS) def. Madi Rogers/Andrea Delgado (VALPO) 6-2

Singles:
No. 1 Moira Silva (VALPO) def. Lana Caculovic (ILS) 6-1, 6-3
No. 2 Alexandra Popa (VALPO) def. Silvia Pomarolli (ILS) 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 Vittoria Benedetti (ILS) def. Lacey Tanner (VALPO) 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Nicole Iosio (ILS) def. Brynn Steven (VALPO) 6-2, 6-1
No. 5 Nuria Sanz (ILS) def. Andrea Delgado (VALPO) 6-3, 6-4
No. 6 Jolene Fernandes (VALPO) def. Emma Lindh (ILS) 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6)

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