April 26, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue men's tennis team got revenge on Northwestern with a 4-2 Big Ten Championships quarterfinal win today in Columbus, Ohio. The Boilermakers advance to the semifinals, where they will meet No. 3 Illinois tomorrow at 10 a.m.
Purdue, seeded fifth and ranked 41st, entered the match against fourth-seeded and 43rd-ranked Northwestern with a 4-3 loss to the Wildcats during the regular season serving as motivation. Head coach Tim Madden felt the February loss played a large role in today's victory.
"This was sweet revenge for us," Madden said. "This win validates the type of consistent improvement we've made all year."
Purdue got on the board first by winning the doubles point. Senior Dan Swan and junior Scott Mayer beat Jackie Jenkins and Russell Bennett 8-4 at No. 1, while senior Carl McCafferty and senior Laith Al-Agba defeated Tommy Hanus and Josh Axler 8-3 at No. 2.
The Boilermakers needed three singles wins for the team victory. Mayer delivered at No. 1 with a 6-1, 6-4 win over Hanus. Junior Andrew Wakefield posted his sixth-straight win with a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Joost Hol at No. 5.
After losses by McCafferty at No. 3 and Al-Agba at No. 5, the outcome fell in the hands of senior Derek Miller and Troy Havens. Both dropped their first sets before rallying to win the second. Miller was tied 4-all in the third with Ryan Edlefsen at No. 2, but Havens finished first and clinched the match with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-5 win at No. 6 over Chuck Perrin.
Madden was proud of Havens' clutch response.
"Troy had the pressure on his shoulders and he came through like a champ," Madden said.
Purdue will face plenty of pressure against the top-seeded Fighting Illini. The defending conference champion, Illinois breezed through the league with a 10-0 record, including a 7-0 defeat of the Boilermakers in Champaign on March 30. The Illini beat Penn State in its opening-round match today.
According to Madden, the Boilermakers will be looking to show the improvement they've made over the last month.
"The first time we played we nearly pulled out the doubles point, and I think that would have given us a lot of confidence going into singles," Madden said. "Today we did what it takes to be successful in a championship event, and hopefully that will continue tomorrow."
The two other semifinalists are No.2-seed Ohio State and No. 3-seed Minnesota.
PURDUE 4, NORTHWESTERN 3Doubles1. Mayer/Dan Swan (PU) def. Jenkins/Russell Bennett (NU) 8-42. Al-Agba/McCafferty (PU) def. Hanus/Axler (NU) 8-33. Edlefsen/Hol (NU) vs. Miller/Seth McKinley (PU) 7-6 abandonedSingles1. Scott Mayer (PU) def. Tommy Hanus (NU) 6-1, 6-42. Ryan Edlefsen (NU) vs. Derek Miller (PU) 6-3, 3-6, 4-4 abandoned3. Jamie Sahara (NU) def. Carl McCafferty (PU) 7-6 (1), 6-04. Andrew Wakefield (PU) def. Joost Hol (NU) 6-2, 6-25. Josh Axler (NU) def. Laith Al-Agba (PU) 6-1, 6-16. Troy Havens (PU) def. Chuck Perrin (NU) 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
- P -