February 14, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - On this year's Valentine's Day not only was love in the air, but also the sweet smell of victory for the Purdue men's tennis team. The Boilers stayed perfect on the young season improving their record to 3-0, 1-0 as they defeated intrastate rival Indiana 4-3 in the Boilers' conference opener in Bloomington, Ind.
"We took charge of the match early on, " Purdue coach Tim Madden said. "The intensity of our doubles teams was definitely an improvement from the past, but we fell off a little when we went into the singles matches. I think this match was good for us, it will help us learn to finish what we started and I am happy, a 4-3 win is good."
Purdue started the afternoon off strong by picking up the doubles point. In the No. 1 slot, the Boiler duo of senior Derek Myers and newcomer Laith Al-Agba beat Rahman Smiley and Gabriel Montilla, 8-5. While senior-captain Jamie Gordon teamed up with sophomore Dan Swan to pick up the second win of the day. The tandem, playing in the No. 2 position, defeated Paul Jacobson and Milan Rakvica by the same score.
In singles action, Purdue struggled some. In the No. 1 spot, senior Cris James, returning from a shoulder injury, fell in a three-set marathon to Ian Arons 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Classmate Gordon picked up the pace a little and also a 6-4, 7-6 win over Montilla at the No. 2 position. Sophomore and Big Ten Indoor Champion Jason Marshall lost in the No. 3 slot to George McGill 6-4, 1-6, 6-4. At No. 4 Myers rallied behind his doubles win and defeated Rakvica in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4 to remain perfect on the day. At the No. 5 spot, Jacobson spoiled Miller's one-set lead. The freshman jumped ahead by wining the first set 6-3, but lost the next two 6-4, 6-4.
The match came down to junior Cade Lutz facing off against Smiley. Playing in the No. 6 position, Lutz won the first set 6-2, but Smiley would not quit. The Hoosier won the second set in a two-time tiebreak, 6-7, but began to cramp.
"Lutz was the last one left on the court," Madden said. "Cade worked him (Smiley) and took it too him." The junior picked up the final set 6-4 and with it a Purdue win.
Purdue will hit the courts again Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. when they will host Western Michigan at the Lafayette Sports Center.