April 30, 2004
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The ninth-seeded Purdue women's tennis team fell 4-1 to No. 11 Northwestern in a Big Ten Championships quarterfinal Friday in Evanston, Ill. The 50th-ranked Boilermakers, who own a 10-14 record, now will await word on an at-large NCAA bid. Northwestern, the top seed in the tournament and winners of the last five conference titles, improved to 21-4 with the victory.
The host Wildcats took the doubles point. Northwestern's team of Cristelle Grier and Jessica Rush, ranked third nationally, beat Purdue's senior tandem of Gretchen Haynor and Melissa Woods 8-1 at No. 1. At No. 2, Wildcats Alexis Prousis and Jamie Peisel beat the Boilermaker pair of junior Shawna Zuccarini and freshman Hala Sufi 8-6.
Purdue, which had advanced to the quarterfinals following a 4-1 win over eighth-seeded Michigan State on Thursday, put up a valiant effort in singles. Junior Amy Walgenbach tied the score 1-all with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Prousis at No. 3. Unfortunately, the next three matches off the court were Northwestern victories. Rush, the 47th-ranked singles player in the nation, beat freshman Alyssa Rodriguez 6-1, 7-6 at No. 2. Then the Wildcats moved ahead 3-1 behind a 7-6, 6-3 win at No. 6 by Connie Chiang over senior Melissa Woods.
The match-clinching win was provided by Grier, the nation's third-highest ranked player, who came from behind to beat Sufi 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
Purdue now will turn its attention to the NCAA Championships. An NCAA bid for the Boilermakers would be their second in a row and fourth in program history. NCAA regional action is slated to begin May 14.
#11 Northwestern 4, #50 Purdue 1Singles1. #3 Cristelle Grier (NU) def. Hala Sufi (PU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-12. #47 Jessica Rush (NU) def. Alyssa Rodriguez (PU) 6-1, 7-6 (2)3. Amy Walgenbach (PU) def. Alexis Prousis (NU) 7-5, 6-34. Jamie Peisel (NU) vs. Gretchen Haynor (PU) - Peisel led 6-4, 7-6 (6-4)5. Andrea Yung (NU) vs. Shawna Zuccarini (PU) - Yung led 7-6 (6), 2-46. Connie Chiang (NU) def. Melissa Woods (PU) 7-6 (0), 6-3- P -
Doubles1. #3 Grier/Rush (NU) def. Haynor/Woods (PU) 8-12. Prousis/Peisel (NU) def. Zuccarini/Sufi (PU) 8-63. Lara Burgarello/Rodriguez (PU) vs. Yung/Ruth Barnes (NU) - Burgarello/Rodriguez led 5-4
Order of singles finish: 3, 2, 6, 1Order of doubles finish: 1, 2
Purdue: 10-14Northwestern: 21-4