April 11, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - With a forecast of rain expected, cooling temperatures and blistering wind conditions, the Purdue versus Michigan men's tennis match was moved indoors to the Lafayette Sports Center today. The heat though inside the Sports Center was intense as the Wolverines escaped with a 4-3 victory over the Boilermakers. Six of the 14 sets in singles action went to a tiebreaker with the Wolverines winning all six. With the loss, Purdue has now dropped two conference matches in a row after starting to the year 4-0 and now stand at 12-5 overall, while Michigan is 14-1 overall and a perfect 7-0 in the Big Ten. Last year, Old Gold and Black defeated the Maize and Blue three times throughout the year, including the third round of the Big Ten Tournament. In the Boilers five losses this season, four have been decided by one point. The lone exception was a 5-2 loss to Florida on Feb. 27.
"This loss today was a frustrating one," Purdue coach Tim Madden said. "We have come up one point short on four occasions this season. We have been so close in all of them, and I sense that our frustration level is at its highest. Michigan is a very tough team and full of competitors who fought hard today, and they came up with the big shot when it counted the most."
In doubles action, the Boilers took the point on the strength of victories at the No. 2 and 3 spots. At No. 2 doubles, senior Jamie Gordon and sophomore Dan Swan defeated William Farah and Brad McFarlane by a score of 8-3. With the win, the Purdue tandem is now 12-4 on the season and 4-2 in the conference. In the No. 3 slot, the duo of senior Cris James and sophomore Jason Marshall disposed of John Long and Jake Raiton 8-3 to run their season record to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Ten.
In singles action, Purdue could only muster victories at the No. 3 and 5 positions in the lineup, allowing the Wolverines to take four matches and remain undefeated in the conference. James, playing in the No. 3 slot, came from one set down to defeat Danny McCain in three sets 1-6, 7-6, 7-5. James, a two-time All-Big Ten selection, has now won seven matches in a row upping his record to 16-6 on the year. Freshman Derek Miller was the other Boiler to claim a singles victory, as the San Diego, Calif., native scored a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Henry Beam to earn his 13th win of the season.
The Boilermakers will have little time to recover, as they travel to Champaign, Ill., on Thursday April 15th to battle the second-ranked Fightin' Illini of Illinois. That match is set to get underway at 2 p.m.
"It doesn't get any easier for us now, as we have to travel to Illinois and play," Madden said. "We need to dig deep within ourselves and start to play more responsibly."
FINAL: MICHIGAN 4, PURDUE 3
SINGLES
No. 1 Matt Wright (UM) d. Derek Myers (PU) 6-3, 7-5No. 2 William Farah (UM) d. Jamie Gordon (PU) 7-6, 7-6 No. 3 Cris James (PU) d. Danny McCain (UM) 1-6, 7-6, 7-5No. 4 John Long (UM) d. Jason Marshall (PU) 6-4, 7-6No. 5 Derek Miller (PU) d. Henry Beam (UM) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4No. 6 Ben Cox (UM) d. Evan Hays (PU) 6-0, 6-1
DOUBLES
No. 1 Matt Wright/Danny McCain (UM) d. Derek Myers/Laith Al-Agba (PU) 8-4 No. 2 Jamie Gordon/Dan Swan (PU) d. William Farah/Brad McFarlane (UM) 8-3 No. 3 Cris James/Jason Marshall (PU) d. John Long/Jake Raiton (UM) 8-3