INDIANAPOLIS – With a two-week break from competition on the horizon, the IUPUI women’s tennis team wanted to go into that stretch on a positive note and the Jaguars did just that by posting a 5-2 win over Valparaiso Friday evening at the West Indy Racquet Club.
 
With the victory, the Jags improved to 2-9, while the Crusaders fell to 1-7.
 
“It’s always good to get a win going into a layoff. Our goal was to get the doubles point and look for production throughout the lineup,” interim head coach Pat Nickell said. “The four spots we won were all solid wins. Heading into a match, you want to go in and take care of business and that’s what we got tonight.”
 
As Nickell stated, the goal for the Jags was to capture the doubles point and they did that courtesy of wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Vanessa Whyte and Rachael Bridegroom teamed up for an 8-4 victory at the second spot, while Jesika Bays and Jaclyn Hyman earned the 8-2 win in the final doubles match-up.
 
With the one-point cushion heading into singles play, the top-half of the IUPUI lineup helped lift the team to victory.
 
Shelby Hullett, Bobbi Modesto and Whyte all won in straight sets at the No. 1, 2 and 3 spots, respectively, to clinch the win for IUPUI, but the Jags also earned another straight-sets win from Bays at the No. 5 position with a 6-0, 6-0 triumph.
 
The Jags were a few points away from the sweep, but Valparaiso picked up a pair of third-set tiebreaker wins at the fourth and sixth positions to make the final, 5-2, in IUPUI’s favor.
 
IUPUI returns to action on Friday, March 8, when it hosts Eastern Illinois at 7:30 p.m. ET at the West Indy Racquet Club
 
IUPUI 5, Valparaiso 2
Feb. 22, 2013
Indianapolis, Ind. (West Indy Racquet Club)

Doubles

1. Hullett/Modesto (IUPUI) def. Zakiewicz/Fredlake (Valpo) – 7-6 (unf.)
2. Whyte/Bridegroom (IUPUI) def. Hamel/Barthels (Valpo) – 8-4
3. Bays/Hyman (IUPUI) def. Zdanovec/Kammerer (Valpo) – 8-2

Singles

1. Hullett (IUPUI) def. Fredlake (Valpo) – 6-2, 6-0
2. Modesto (IUPUI) def. Barthels (Valpo) – 6-1, 6-1
3. Whyte (IUPUI) def. Zakiewicz (Valpo) – 6-3, 6-1
4. Hamel (Valpo) def. Bridegroom (IUPUI) – 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (6)
5. Bays (IUPUI) def. Zdanovec (Valpo) – 6-0, 6-0
6. Kammerer (Valpo) def. Hyman (IUPUI) – 1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (5)