University of Northern Iowa
Valparaiso
Panther tennis battles Valparaiso, Missouri State to open final month of season
3/30/2023 1:18:00 PM | Women's Tennis
UNI tennis (4-11-1) vs. Valparaiso (10-5)
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April 1, 2023 | 1 p.m. CT
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Black Hawk Tennis Club
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Waterloo, Iowa
UNI tennis (4-11-1) vs. Missouri State (5-12)
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April 2, 2023 | 10 a.m. CT
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UNI Tennis Courts (Weather dependent)
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Cedar Falls, Iowa
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa ---Â UNI tennis is set to host the Valparaiso Beacons and Missouri State Bears in back-to-back duals this weekend on Saturday and Sunday in Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) competition.Â
The Panthers will matchup with the Beacons on Saturday afternoon at the Black Hawk Tennis Club in Waterloo at 1 p.m., and host the Bears on Sunday morning at 10 a.m. CT. Due to forecasted temperatures, Sunday's dual may be held at the UNI Tennis Courts in Cedar Falls.
Coming off of back-to-back road losses at Bradley and Illinois State last weekend, the Panthers look to rebound entering the final month of the season. Valparaiso enters Saturday's dual having lost 3 of its last 5 duals, most recently a 5-2 home loss to UIC. The Beacons, who have won the last two duals against the Panthers, are led by a trio of 15+ singles match winners in Moira Silva (17-5), Olivia Czerwonka (16-5) and Mia Bertino (15-6).Â
Missouri State will come to town following a dual at Drake on Saturday having dropped 5 straight duals. UNI fell short against the Bears last fall in a 4-3 dual in Omaha as part of non-conference play, but clinched a 6-1 victory in Springfield last spring during MVC competition. Sandra Lukacova leads Missouri State with 13 singles wins this year, while Silva Avakian has recorded 10 singles victories.
Andrijana Brkic leads the Panthers with a 23-6 singles mark this season, the first Panther to notch 20+ singles matches in a season since Gisela Kemper in 2014-15. With a season win percentage of .793 through 29 matches this year, Brkic currently holds the sixth best single-season win percentage in program history. Brkic is currently riding a 5-match winning streak.
In doubles, the sophomore duo of Darta Dalecka and Lorena Cardoso have led the way with a 10-15 mark at the No. 1 doubles slot. Brkic, along with partner Kim Zizek have notched a 5-5 record this season, while Thaissa Moreira and Issa Sullivan have notched a 5-4 mark at the No. 3 spot.
Players Mentioned
