April 30, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's tennis team's run at a Big Ten title came to an end when it dropped a 4-1 decision to top-seeded and 23rd-ranked Northwestern at the conference championship tournament in East Lansing, Mich., today. Purdue, the No. 8 seed in the tournament, finishes the season with an 8-16 record, while the Wildcats improve to 16-4.
"We came out strong and were ready to play doubles, but we hit a road block in singles," Purdue coach Mat Iandolo said. "Northwestern is, without a doubt, the top team in the Big Ten, and we knew this would be a great challenge."
Purdue made a play for an upset by winning the doubles point to grab a 1-0 lead. The 22nd-ranked duo of junior Jennifer Embry and freshman Missy Wright avenged a regular-season loss to Northwestern's 17th-ranked pair of Laura Guignon and Katherine Nasser with an 8-4 victory at No. 1. In the No. 2 slot, junior Shannon Taheny and freshman Lynsey Fick battled for a 9-7 win over the Wildcats' Colleen Cheng and Lia Jackson.
But the Boilermakers were held winless in singles, as the 'Cats captured four matches in straight sets to claim the victory and advance to a semifinal with fourth-seeded Illinois tomorrow.
Northwestern 4, Purdue 1
SINGLES
1. Katherine Nasser (NU) vs. Jennifer Embry (PU) 7-6, 2-0 susp. 2. Laura Guignon (NU) def. Erika Quebe (PU) 6-4, 6-1 3. Shannon Duffy (NU) vs. Shannon Taheny (PU) 6-4, 4-3 susp. 4. Colleen Cheng (NU) def. Missy Wright (PU) 6-2, 7-5 5. Lia Jackson (NU) def. Lisa Walgenbach (PU) 6-3, 6-1 6. Jennifer Lutgert (NU) def. Lynsey Fick (PU) 6-1, 6-3DOUBLES
1. Embry/Wright (PU) def. Nasser/Guignon (NU) 8-42. Taheny/Fick (PU) def. Cheng/Jackson (NU) 9-73. Duffy/Leigh Weinraub (NU) def. Quebe/Walgenbach (PU) 8-3