Vikings top another DAC rival

Updated: May 24, 2011 10:54PM

PORTAGE — Call them the Achilles’ heel of the Duneland Conference. A team that can strike at any time, especially in the state tournament.

While the Valparaiso girls tennis team didn’t take sole possession of the conference title during the season — splitting in a three-way tie with Chesterton and Michigan City — the Vikings have continued to exact revenge in the postseason.

Last week in the Portage Sectional final, they reversed a 3-2 regular-season loss to the Trojans into 3-2 title win. And in another battle with the Wolves, Valparaiso dug out of a deficit for another 3-2 outcome on Tuesday. In today’s championship of the Portage Regional, the Vikings will face Hobart, which swept Lake Station 5-0.

“We had our chances obviously, but it’s a game of momentum,” said MC coach Norm Bruemmer.

The Wolves, who started the year on a seven-match winning streak before the Vikings (14-4) snapped it with a 4-1 victory on May 5, burst out to an early 2-0 lead, including a 6-1, 6-2 no. 1 singles victory by Brooke Foltz over Kelly Kennedy. Even after Valparaiso grabbed its first point, with a win of the same score by Kelly’s twin sister Caitlin Kennedy at No. 2 singles, the Vikings’ chances looked to be fading.

With MC (14-3) leading 2-1, two more points were up in the air.

The Vikings took those two points thanks to a 6-3, 6-4 (that second set was actually tied at 4-4) win by Katie McDonald at No. 3 singles and a 3-6, 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 2 doubles by Amanda Stolarz and Sonja Schaefer.

“We were like we need to be more aggressive,” Stolarz said. “(We) didn’t make as many errors (in the last two sets).”

In the other semifinal, Hobart grabbed a point via the No. 2 doubles forfeiture by Lake Station (1-12) and then pulled away. The Brickies (10-9) only allowed nine game points.

Foltz and Chesterton’s Bobbi Modesto will compete today in the individual singles tournament. The winner will face Marquette’s Katie Clancy, who beat Andrean’s Candace Roberson.

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