Feb. 26, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Wins do not come much bigger than the one the Purdue men's tennis team recorded Saturday at the Lafayette Sports Center. The 73rd-ranked Boilermakers upset the 17th-ranked and previously undefeated Vanderbilt Commodores 5-2 for their first win over a top 20-ranked team since April 6, 2002, when they beat No. 20 Minnesota 4-3.
Now in his 11th season at Purdue, head coach Tim Madden called the win over the Commodores one to remember.
"We've had a few wins over top-25 programs over the years, but this has to rank close to the top," Madden said.
Coming off a home win over Western Michigan on Friday, Purdue, now 3-3, continued its momentum. The Boilermakers got two victories in doubles to take the point. Winning at No. 3 were junior Colin Foster and sophomore Scott Warner, who beat Matt Lockin and Jordan Magarik 8-6. After senior David Robinson and junior Paul Rose lost at No. 1, seniors Sounak Chatterjee and Filip Koziell clinched the point with an 8-5 win over Ryan Preston and Andy Mack at No. 2.
Vanderbilt evened the score in singles, winning the first match that came off the court at No. 3. But Purdue fought back. Sophomore Matt Zollman won his first match of the year at No. 6, beating Magarik 6-2, 7-6. Next came a 7-6, 6-3 upset win by Rose over 40th-ranked Scott Brown. With a 7-5, 6-3 victory against Andy Mack at No. 5, Foster clinched the match for the Boilermakers.
Purdue added a win by Koziell at No. 2 to finish with five total points.
Foster, who also provided the match-clinching victory against Western Michigan, stayed ahead in his match by sticking to his game plan.
"I could tell he was a lot tighter than I was, so I knew if I kept dictating play I'd be all right," Foster said. "I just focused on every point and making him earn everything he got. I didn't want to give him anything."
Neither did Rose, who avenged a three-set loss to Brown in Nashville a year ago.
"Last time I played him I let some things slip away," Rose said. "I knew he would be feisty and relentless. I just concentrated on serving well and capitalizing on what that gave me. It's a nice win."
The entire Purdue team and coaching staff basked in the victory, its second in a row at home after losing three straight on the road.
"I couldn't be happier," Madden said. "Everybody competed at their highest level."
The result was one of the biggest wins in program history, and the accomplishment of one of two goals the Boilermakers set for themselves before the season began: beating a highly ranked non-conference team. Another goal: beat a highly ranked Big Ten team.
Purdue will have a chance to complete its second mission in its next match, when it plays host to defending Big Ten champion Illinois, currently ranked third in the country. The Boilermakers are 3-0 at home this season, and are 9-1 at home over the last two years combined.
#73 Purdue 5, #17 Vanderbilt 2
Singles
1. Paul Rose (P) def. #40 Scott Brown (V) 7-6, 6-3
2. Filip Koziell (P) def. Matt Lockin (V) 7-6, 2-6, 10-2
3. Jason Pinsky (V) def. Sounak Chatterjee (P) 6-0, 6-3
4. Ryan Preston (V) def. Jarred Leibner (P) 6-3, 4-6, 10-7
5. Colin Foster (P) def. Andy Mack (V) 7-5, 6-3 *
6. Matt Zollman (P) def. Jordan Magarik (V) 6-2, 7-6
Doubles
1. #35 Brown/Pinsky (V) def. David Robinson/Rose (P) 8-6
2. Chatterjee/Koziell (P) def. Preston/Mack (V) 8-5
3. Foster/Scott Warner (P) def. Lockin/Magarik (V) 8-6
Order of singles finish: 3, 6, 1, 5, 2, 4
Order of doubles finish: 3, 1, 2
* Denotes match-clinching win.
Purdue: 3-3
Vanderbilt: 7-1
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