April 18, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 2002-03 Titan Series competition between the Purdue and Indiana athletic departments is now tied, thanks to a Boilermaker men's tennis victory over the Hoosiers in Bloomington on Friday. Purdue and Indiana both have 6.5 points in the second annual Titan Series, sponsored by Keebler. Seven more points remain up for grabs.
The 50th-ranked Boilermakers handily defeated the 45th-ranked Hoosiers by a 6-1 score. The loss for Indiana was its sixth in a row this season and eighth straight to Purdue.
Purdue's third consecutive victory improved its 2003 record to 13-6 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten, while Indiana dropped to 11-9 overall and 3-6 in the conference.
Purdue head coach Tim Madden praised his team's performance.
"We played a great match from top to bottom today," Madden said. "Everyone came out focused and ready, and that clearly shows in the results."
Purdue started off strong by sweeping all three doubles matches to claim the point. Senior Scott Mayer and junior Troy Havens won 8-4 at No. 1; senior Andrew Wakefield and freshman Paul Rose won 8-4 at No. 2; junior Seth McKinley and sophomore Sounak Chatterjee won 8-5 at No. 3.
The Boilermakers nearly swept through singles as well. Rose and Wakefield made quick work of their respective opponents, with Rose beating Petr Novotny 6-1, 6-0 at No. 4, and Wakefield defeating Viktor Libal 6-1, 6-3 at No. 2.
Havens came through with his sixth consecutive singles win in a 6-2, 7-6 decision against Zach Held at No. 3. Sophomore David Robinson clinched the team victory with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Tom Bagnato at No. 6.
After the team outcome was decided, Mayer defeated Jakub Praibis at No. 1. The lone Boilermaker loss on the day was suffered by McKinley at No. 5.
The day's extraordinary success made it difficult for Madden to point out a singular highlight.
"Usually we have one or two guys stand out in each match, but everyone gave it everything they had," Madden said. "They worked hard, and it paid off."
Purdue would like to see more of its hard work pay off when it closes out the regular season against No. 1 Illinois on Sunday, April 20. The match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m., on the Varsity Tennis Courts in West Lafayette, Ind. Inclement weather will move the match indoors to the Lafayette Sports Center.
#50 Purdue 6, #45 Indiana 1Doubles1. Mayer/Havens (P) def. Libal/Held (I) 8-42. Wakfield/Rose (P) def. Recht/Stone (I) 8-43. McKinley/Sounak Chatterjee (P) def. Novotny/Praibis (I) 8-5Singles1. Scott Mayer (P) def. Jakub Praibis (I) 5-7, 7-6 (4), 1-0 (7)2. Andrew Wakefield (P) def. Viktor Libal (I) 6-1, 6-33. Troy Havens (P) def. Zach Held (I) 6-2, 7-6 (5)4. Paul Rose (P) def. Petr Novotny (I) 6-1, 6-05. Ryan Recht (I) def. Seth McKinley (P) 7-6, (6), 6-26. David Robinson (P) def. Tom Bagnato (I) 6-4, 6-3
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