Feb. 7, 2003
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Two wins, two sweeps for the Purdue men's tennis team. The Boilermakers picked up their second straight bagel of the young season with a 7-0 victory against Toledo (3-4) at the Lafayette Sports Center on Friday. They defeated Butler 7-0 in their season opener on Saturday, Feb. 2.
Purdue got off to a good start by winning the doubles point. Junior Seth McKinley and freshman Colin Foster teamed up for an 8-2 win at No. 3, while senior Andrew Wakefield and rookie Paul Rose combined for an 8-6 win at No. 1. The latter victory proved to be the difference, lifting Purdue to the one-point lead despite a 9-8 loss at the No. 2 spot.
The Boilermakers steamrolled the Rockets in singles. Sophomore walkon Jamie Kish, playing the first match of his collegiate career, finished first with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Zach Barden at No. 6.
Purdue head coach Tim Madden was pleased by Kish's success.
"That was a nice debut for Jamie," Madden said. "We knew all along that he was a good team player and would be a great addition to our program, but today he really showed what an amazing competitor he is. I assumed he might be nervous, but he was in it from the first game and never let up."
In order, Kish was joined in the win column by sophomore David Robinson at No. 4, and junior Troy Havens at No. 2. Havens' 6-2, 6-4 win over Khalid Al Nabhani clinched the match.
Rose won at No. 3, while Foster was victorious in a match tiebreaker at No. 5. In the gap between those endings, Wakefield picked up a 6-4, 6-3 over Dipesh Rao at No. 1.
Regularly Purdue's No. 2 player, Wakefield learned a few days ago that he would have the opportunity to fill in for classmate Scott Mayer, who will be in and out of the lineup while recuperating from November elbow surgery.
Wakefield showed no signs that today marked the first appearance of his career in the top slot.
"I thought I played well," Wakefield said. "I won a lot of breaks and took some chances when they came. It was a solid win."
Madden also liked what he saw from Wakefield.
"Andrew looked very confident today," Madden said. "When you're playing No. 1, you're immediately seen as a leader. He responded to that challenge and helped set the tone."
The 46th-ranked Boilermakers will look to build on the success from their first two victories when they host No. 43 Notre Dame on Saturday at 1 p.m., at the Lafayette Sports Center. Madden, now in his ninth year at the head of the Purdue program, has yet to record a victory over the Fighting Irish.
Madden believes that smart play could mean the difference this time around.
"In our first two matches we've been trying to stay focused on the details and have made a commitment to play within ourselves," Madden said. "Against Notre Dame we will have to exhibit the same type of mental discipline."
PURDUE 7, TOLEDO 0Doubles1. Wakefield/Rose (P) def. Rao/Wojtkowski (T) 8-62. Al Nabhani/Tran (T) def. Havens/Chatterjee (P) 9-83. McKinley/Foster (P) def. Barden/Salge (T) 8-2Singles1. Andrew Wakefield (P) def. Dipesh Rao (T) 6-4, 6-32. Troy Havens (P) def. Khalid Al Nabhani (P) 6-2, 6-43. Paul Rose (P) def. Todd Wojtkowski (T) 6-4, 7-64. David Robinson (P) def. Mirsad Begic (T) 6-1, 6-25. Colin Foster (P) def. Tony Tran (T) 6-7, 6-2, 10-66. Jamie Kish (P) def. Zach Barden (T) 6-0, 6-2
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