April 7, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue senior Laith Al-Agba went undefeated and provided a match-clinching victory late in singles to lift the Boilermakers to a 4-3 win over Wisconsin today at the Varsity Tennis Courts. Purdue, which beat Minnesota on Saturday, now moves to 9-8 overall and 4-2 in the Big Ten.
Purdue coach Tim Madden, a Wisconsin alum, praised his team for its mental toughness in a tight contest.
"It was a war out there today," Madden said. "It just got to a point where it became a matter of who could be mentally stronger. I talked about leadership today. Laith went above and beyond."
Al-Agba and junior Carl McCafferty helped to establish the first team point in doubles play. At No. 2, the pair defeated the Badgers' Jason Gonzaga and Danny Westerman 8-3, while senior Derek Miller and junior Andrew Wakefield beat Wisconsin's Justin Baker and David Hippee 8-6 at No. 3.
Coach Tim Madden applauded Al-Agba and McCafferty for their play.
"Once again Laith and Carl gave us just what we needed," Madden says. "It was exciting to get that point. It just gives us so much confidence in going into singles."
With the Boilermakers up 1-0, Purdue transferred its energy from doubles into singles by winning its No. 3 and 4 matches. McCafferty initiated the singles victories for the Boilermakers, defeating Hippee 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3. Wakefield joined his teammate in the winning pool by beating Alex Kasorov 6-2, 6-2 at No. 4.
Needing just one more victory in the four remaining matches, Purdue watched its comfortable lead slip as the Badgers won the next three at No. 1, 2 and 6. The last man standing for the Boilermakers was Al-Agba, who was in a three-set match with Scott Green at No. 5. Al-Agba won the first set 6-2, then lost the second 6-3. With the balance of the match in his hands, Al-Agba delivered a 6-2 third-set win to secure the Purdue victory.
Providing the match-winner was a new experience for Al-Agba, but he handled it like a veteran.
"I was really nervous, I was almost shaking," Al-Agba said. "I've been here for four years and that's never happened to me before. It's never come down to me in a singles match. Today was a big step for me."
Not only did this win improve Purdue's overall and conference records, but it, combined with Saturday's win over the Golden Gophers, also may have helped the Boilermakers' chances of gaining an invitation to the NCAA Championships.
"The win yesterday was phenomenal for us, and both of our wins this weekend should give us a real good chance to get into NCAA's," Al-Agba said.
Purdue will return to action next weekend when it plays at Penn State on April 13 and at Ohio State on April 14.
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