March 25, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 70 Purdue tennis match found itself in a very equal match on Sunday at the Schwartz Tennis Center. All six singles matches went three sets, but the Boilermakers were able to come out on top after almost four hours on the courts, 5-2.
Purdue (7-7, 1-1 Big Ten) switched things up a bit in doubles. Krisztian Krocsko paired with Szymon Tatarczyk at No. 2 and the duo were first to finish with an 8-4 win. Next, it was Mark Kovacs and Pawel Poziomski and No. 3. The duo clinched the point with an 8-3 win. Aaron Dujovne and Diego Acosta completed the sweep with an 8-4 win at No. 1.
Penn State (10-6, 0-3) evened things up in a tough, evenly matched singles contest. Taylor Cohen knocked off Krocsko at No. 3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2. Purdue responded with a win at No. 1. Kovacs took the top singles spot, 6-4, 2-6, 6-2, over Tomas Hanzlik to give the Boilermakers a 2-1 lead. However, the Nittany Lions came back again. Russell Bader rallied past Tatarczyk at No. 2, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (2) to again even the score.
Purdue would step up from there.
Poziomski rallied back and gained momentum despite dropped the first set. The junior trailed 5-1 in the opening stanza before rallying back to tie the score at five. He would lose the set, 7-5, but Poziomski settled into his game. From there, the Purdue No. 6 player won the next two sets, 6-3, 7-5, to give the Old Gold and Black a 3-2 lead. Acosta then stepped up at No. 4, also in comeback fashion. The freshman clinched the win with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 win. Dujovne then finished the day off with a 5-7, 6-3, 6-4 win.
The Boilermakers will hit the road next week as they travel to the state of Michigan for a pair of matches. The men will play the Wolverines on Friday and the Spartans on Sunday.