Jan. 26, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Down 4-2 in the third set with the weight of Purdue on his shoulders, sophomore Slavko Bijelica mounted a tremendous 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (8) comeback over Marquette's Trent Hagan at No. 2 singles, giving the Boilermakers (1-0) a 4-3 win over the Golden Eagles (2-1).
Bijelica, who recently joined the team for the start of spring semester, turned his ankle earlier this week in practice.
The athletic trainers doubted he'd play. Bijelia knew otherwise.
"Slavko convinced me he wanted to compete, no questions asked, and he goes out there and plays the longest match of the day," said head coach Tim Madden. "I can't say enough about his character. He arrived just a few weeks ago, we know little about him, and yet he bails us out of a pressure-pack situation. I can see it in him. He's a true competitor."
The two-point game deficit did not phase Bijelica, a native of Novi Sad, Serbia. He came back to tie Hagan at 5-5 and again at 6-6 to send the decisive match to a tiebreak.
Hagan and Bijelic traded points until the newcomer eventually grabbed a 9-8 lead. His ace clinched Purdue's first dual win of 2008 and its 12th-straight victory over Marquette.
Purdue jumped out to a 3-0 lead, receiving the doubles point and straight-set victories by Branko Kuzmanovic and P.J. Rose and No. 1 and 3 singles.
Kuzmanovic blew past Dusan Medan, 6-4, 6-1. Rose took care of Stephen Shao 6-3, 6-2.
However, Purdue's advantage quickly disapperared as the Eagles claimed three straight-set win at No.'s 4, 5 and 6.
"I give a lot of credit to Marquette," said Madden. "They were down but still competed as if it were their match to win. It was an excellent, competitive battle the who way through."
The Boilermakers opened the match with a doubles sweep, but like singles, none of the wins came easily.
The No. 3 combo of Jose Fuenmayor and Rose held a 7-2 lead over Medan and Hagan, only to see the Golden Eagle tandem win four-consecutive points and reduce Purdue's advantage to one. Fuenmayor's powerful serve came alive in the 14th and final game of the set, delivering back-to-back aces to clinch the doubles point.
Purdue's No. 2's Paul Foley and Eric Ramos were done first following their 8-4 win over Stephen Shao and Niko Boulieris.
Kuzmanovic and Bijelica completed the sweep at No. 1, edging Brett Binkley and Mark Rutherford 8-7 (3). After splitting the first six games, the two combinations exchanged points until the very end. Purdue won the tiebreak on a double fault.
The Boilermakers return to action Sunday at noon, playing host to the Butler Bulldogs. Admission to the Schwartz Tennis Center is free.