March 6, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 43rd-ranked Purdue women's tennis team lost a tough battle against 26th-ranked Tennessee on March 6 at the Lafayette Sports Center. The Boilermakers, who fell 4-5 to the Volunteers, now stand at 4-3 overall (0-1 Big Ten). Tennessee extends its match win-streak to five with the victory and stands at 7-2 overall.
"There is a reason why top teams win close matches," Purdue coach Mat Iandolo said. "When it comes down to big points, they look to make it happen. We still don't totally have that make-it-happen attitude. We are learning, but we need to adapt that attitude to win matches against Top-20 schools. We had a great opportunity to win one. We played as well as we could have played. We just came up a little short. We just have to learn from this experience and move on."
Junior Jennifer Embry captured the first singles point for Purdue, demonstrating once again why she holds the No. 1 singles position in the lineup. Embry defeated Agnes Wiski in straight sets 6-1, 6-1, improving her spring singles record to 6-1 on the season.
Freshman Missy Wright remained undefeated in the spring campaign with a 6-0, 7-6, win over Candy Reid in No. 5 singles. Wright now stands at 7-0.
Both matches in the No. 2 and 3 slots had to proceed into the final third set to determine the match outcomes. Junior Shannon Taheny continued her impressive play within the past few weeks with a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 decision over Dana Noel in the No. 3 position. Tahney now has a three-match win-streak and is 4-2 in spring action. Sophomore Erika Quebe fell short of the victory in the No. 2 slot with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4, loss to Alison Ojeda, and now stands at 4-3 in singles play.
Sophomore Lisa Walgenbach and senior Katy Moran lost in the No. 4 and 6 positions, respectively.
The score was tied up at 3-3 at the completion of the singles competition.
The Boilers needed to come out strong in the doubles portion to gain the lead in the match, but were unable to pull through with the victory in the end. The duo of Embry and Wright captured an 8-6 decision over Noel and Wiski in the No. 1 slot to give Purdue the 4-3 lead, but both doubles teams in the No. 2 and 3 positions came up short after that. Taheny and Quebe fell 8-4 to Reid and Ojeda, while Walgenbach and senior Laura Avgerinos lost 8-6 to Woodside and Meiling Parks.
The Boilers will next face in-state rival Indiana on March 13 at 12 p.m. at the Lafayette Sports Center.
Tennessee 5, Purdue 4
SINGLES
1. Jennifer Embry (PU) def. Agnes Wiski (UT) 6-1, 6-1
2. Alison Ojeda (UT) def. Erika Quebe (PU) 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
3. Shannon Taheny (PU) def. Dana Noel (UT) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Emily Woodside (UT) def. Lisa Walgenbach (PU) 6-4, 6-0
5. Missy Wright (PU) def. Candy Reid (UT) 6-0, 7-6
6. Vinny Seiverling (UT) def. Katy Moran (PU) 6-1, 6-1
DOUBLES
1. Embry-Wright (PU) def. Noel-Wiski (UT) 8-6
2. Reid-Ojeda (UT) def. Taheny-Quebe (PU) 8-4
3. Woodside-Meiling Parks (UT) def. Walgenbach-Laura Avgerinos 8-6
Purdue: 4-3 (0-1 Big Ten)
Tennessee: 7-2 (1-2 SEC)