March 1, 2009
The Purdue men's tennis team put together a 5-2 win over Ball State Sunday afternoon inside the Muncie YMCA Tennis Center in Muncie, Ind.
"There is no doubt in my mind we have grown as a team," head coach Tim Madden said. "Confidence is the word that comes to mind. That's what we lacked in our 4-3 losses earlier this season. I'm proud of these guys pulling together, and I feel like they have gained confidence from the Ohio State and Illinois matches that we can carry forward."
Purdue (4-7) won the doubles point for the second consecutive match and sixth time this season. Purdue's No. 2 duo of Branko Kuzmanovic and P.J. Rose earned the first victory with an 8-2 win over Jorge Rodriguez and Andres Monroy. At No. 3, Eric Ramos and Thomas Wilson earned their second straight win by taking down Shaun Bussert and Zane Smith 8-4. Jose Perdomo and Eduardo Pavia defeated Slavko Bijelica and Griff Nienberg 8-7 (5) at No. 1.
The Boilermakers put a decisive stamp on the match as they clinched it by taking the first three decisions in singles play. Bijelica improved to 8-3 as Purdue's No. 1 player with his 6-3, 6-2 win over Perdomo. Ramos earned his sixth win this season as he defeated Rodriguez 6-2, 6-2 at No. 3. Rose clinched the match for Purdue with his 6-4, 6-3 win over Monroy at No. 4.
"P.J. is the best example of how this team has learned from experiences and gained confidence," Madden said. "His confidence showed with strong body language. You could hear it in his voice. He showed great leadership today. Hopefully, this is a good sign for us to get on a winning streak."
Ball State (5-5) got on the board with a victory at No. 2 singles when Pavia defeated Kuzmanovic 7-6 (5), 6-1. The Cardinals earned another victory at No. 6 when Cliff Morrison beat Nienberg 7-5, 6-2. In the last match to finish, Roberto Cabrini defeated Bussert 6-3, 6-7 (6), 1-0 (8) for the final margin.
Purdue earned its third straight win over Ball State and now leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1939, 33-25. The Boilermakers return to action March 13 against Toledo inside the Schwartz Tennis Center.