April 21, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Melissa Woods came through big in the last home match of her career as a Purdue women's tennis player. The fifth-year senior, on senior day, provided the clinching victory that gave the 61st-ranked Boilermakers a 4-3 upset over No. 27 Notre Dame at the Lafayette Sports Center on Wednesday.
Purdue, which had been 1-8 against teams ranked in the top 50 prior to the victory against Notre Dame, had lost five of its last six and two in a row heading into its annual match-up with the Fighting Irish. The win Wednesday improved the Boilermakers' record to 9-12. Notre Dame, meanwhile, dropped to 10-10.
Purdue head coach Mat Iandolo, now in his 13th year in West Lafayette, said this win is one for the record books.
"This is probably one of our top-six victories of all-time," Iandolo said. "We've beaten some teams of this caliber before, but the timing of this was very good."
Despite the final outcome, Purdue may have hoped for a better start. The Boilermakers lost the doubles point after Notre Dame's No. 2 doubles team of Lauren Connelly and Alicia Salas pulled out a 9-8 victory over junior Shawna Zuccarini and freshman Hala Sufi.
Purdue needed four singles wins to upset the Irish, but Notre Dame took control early. Christian Thompson won the first match off the court, beating senior Gretchen Haynor 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2. Next off was Thompson's twin sister Catrina, who defeated junior Amy Walgenbach 6-2, 6-1 at No. 3.
The tide finally turned for the Boilermakers, starting with a win by Alyssa Rodriguez. The freshman No. 4 player knocked off Connelly 6-2, 6-3. Shortly thereafter, Sufi polished off Salas at No. 1, beating the 19th-ranked player in the nation 6-2, 0-6, 6-0.
Zuccarini then came through with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Kristina Stastny at No. 5, setting the table for Woods.
Woods, who grew up in Granger, Ind., near South Bend, took the first set from Sarah Jane Connelly 6-2 at No. 6. Connelly came back, however, winning the second set 7-5. With all eyes on their court, Woods and Connelly slugged out the third set. Connelly seized the momentum early, establishing a 4-1 lead before Woods rallied to go ahead 5-4. Woods served for the match, but Connelly broke. Eventually the third set went to a tiebreaker.
After battling through numerous shifts in momentum, Woods made the final statement. She won the first five points of the tiebreaker, and finished with a 7-1 decision to win the match 6-2, 5-7, 7-6.
Woods said she was not worried when she was down 4-1 in the third.
"I was kind of tired in the third set," Woods said. "I was just focusing on each point and keeping my feet moving."
Woods' mental strength may have made the difference.
"I just wanted to keep fighting," Woods said. "I knew I could win. I just had to keep making her play and keep hitting balls onto the court."
Iandolo struggled to think of a more appropriate finish on senior day.
"You couldn't have scripted it any better," Iandolo said.
Though Woods provided the final heroics, Sufi came through with one of the most significant singles victories in school history. The accomplishment was not lost on Iandolo.
"Hala showed what she's capable of doing," Iandolo said. "Her win today has to be one of the top three or four wins in the history of our program."
Asked if Sufi realizes the significance of her victory over Salas, Iandolo quickly responded, "No."
More important than any individual win, however, was the team victory. Iandolo is proud of how his team has continued to battle despite coming up just short in several one-point matches this spring.
"This is all about perseverance," Iandolo said. "We've had a lot of hard luck in these kind of matches this year. But I am very proud of how they keep coming back and putting it on the line. What it says about them is that they have a lot of heart and character."
Purdue's win over Notre Dame is its ninth in the all-time series, and first since the 2002 season. The victory is the Boilermakers' fifth by a 4-3 score in 11 attempts this season.
#61 Purdue 4, #27 Notre Dame 3Singles1. Hala Sufi (PU) def. Alicia Salas (ND) 6-2, 0-6, 6-02. Christian Thompson (ND) def. Gretchen Haynor (PU) 6-2, 6-03. Catrina Thompson (ND) def. Amy Walgenbach (PU) 6-2, 6-14. Alyssa Rodriguez (PU) def. Lauren Connelly (ND) 6-2, 6-35. Shawna Zuccarini (PU) def. Kristina Stastny (ND) 6-3, 6-46. Melissa Woods (PU) def. Sarah Jane Connelly (ND) 6-2, 7-5, 7-6 (1) *- P -
Doubles1. Thompson/Thompson (ND) def. Haynor/Woods (PU) 8-22. Lauren Connelly/Salas (ND) def. Zuccarini/Sufi (PU) 9-8 (4)3. Lara Burgarello/Rodriguez (PU) def. Sarah Jane Connelly/Emily Neighbours (ND) 8-6
Order of singles finish: 2, 3, 4, 1, 5, 6Order of doubles finish: 1, 3, 2
* Denotes match-clinching win.
Purdue: 9-12 (3-6 Big Ten)Notre Dame: 10-10