Four Men’s Tennis payers prevail on Sunday

The Valparaiso University men’s tennis team saw four players pick up wins on the final day of the River Forest Invitational on Sunday, headlined by a championship in the No. 3 singles draw by senior Gabriel Carvajal (Pembroke Pines, Fla. / Broward Virtual School [Florida Atlantic]). Valpo also came away with wins in a third-place match and a pair of fifth-place showdowns.

How It Happened

  • Carvajal topped Youngstown State’s Laurentiu Mandocescu 7-6(5), 6-0 in the final match of his bracket. After winning a tiebreaker in the first set, he captured six straight games to dominate the second set.
  • Brandon Ancona’s(Belvidere, Ill. / Rockford Christian) fifth-place win at No. 1 singles also featured a tight first set followed by a one-sided second set. He beat Justin Nogalski of Saint Louis 7-5, 6-0.
  • Brian Pecyna (Glen Ellyn, Ill. / Homeschooled) came back after dropping the opening set to beat Green Bay’s George Botha 6-3, 7-6(4). That win allowed Pecyna to finish fifth in the No. 2 singles flight.
  • At No. 4 singles, freshman Philipp Leithold (Esslingen, Germany / Theodor-Huess Gynasium) grabbed Valpo’s fourth win of the day in a third-place match. He topped Saint Louis’ Alex Heiden 6-3, 7-5.

Inside the Matches

  • Ancona is the active leader in career singles wins with 63, while Pecyna is at 42 and Carvajal is up to 38.
  • Ancona’s career singles win total puts him ninth in program history. He needs six more to enter a tie for seventh with two others. 

Up Next

Valpo will be back in action this coming weekend at the Toledo Invitational on Friday. The three-day event in Toledo will commence at 9 a.m. CT each morning.