March 9, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Another match slipped through the hands of the Purdue women's tennis team Wednesday, as the 47th-ranked Boilermakers fell 4-3 to No. 20 TCU at the Lafayette Sports Center. Purdue dropped to 2-6 with the loss, its third this season by one point. The Horned Frogs, meanwhile, improved to 8-1.
Purdue came up short in doubles to fall behind 1-0. The deficit soon reached 3-0, as the Boilermakers lost singles matches at No. 1 and No. 2.
Senior Amy Walgenbach scored Purdue's first point, as she defeated Karla Mancinas 6-2, 6-2 at No. 6. Freshman Brooke Beier followed with a 7-6, 6-3 victory over Gloriann Lopez at No. 5.
The two matches left on the court went to three sets. With TCU needing just one more point to win the team match, the Horned Frogs came through at No. 3, as Kewa Nichols fought from a set down to defeat Purdue senior Shawna Zuccarini 1-6, 7-6, 6-2.
Purdue head coach Mat Iandolo had hoped to see Zuccarini close out Nichols in the second set; Zuccarini is recovering from mononucleosis, and was not in condition to grind out an extended match.
"We knew if that match went to a third set we'd be in trouble," Iandolo said. "Shawna tried to gut it out, but she was clearly out of gas."
After the outcome had been decided, sophomore Alyssa Rodriguez added a win at No. 4 for the Boilermakers.
Purdue is now 1-4 in matches decided by one point this spring. Twelve of Purdue's 24 matches in 2004 came by 4-3 scores.
Iandolo was disappointed in the close loss, but was positive after the match.
"We put ourselves in a position to win, and you can't ask for much more than that against a team ranked in the top 20 nationally," Iandolo said.
Iandolo credited TCU for its strong finish.
"One reason why top-20 programs are where they are is because they play great, aggressive tennis when it comes to winning time," Iandolo said. "TCU did that today."
#20 TCU 4, #47 Purdue 3
Singles
1. #17 Story Tweedie-Yates (TCU) def. Hala Sufi (P) 6-3, 6-0
2. #52 Helena Besovic (TCU) def. Stephanie Wooten (P) 6-2, 6-1
3. Kewa Nichols (TCU) def. Shawna Zuccarini (P) 1-6, 7-6, 6-2 *
4. Alyssa Rodriguez (P) def. Ana Cetnik (TCU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4
5. Brooke Beier (P) def. Gloriann Lopez (TCU) 7-6, 6-3
6. Amy Walgenbach (P) def. Karla Mancinas (TCU) 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
1. #52 Tweedie-Yates/Cetnik (TCU) def. Burgarello/Zuccarini (P) 8-5
2. Besovic/Mancinas (TCU) def. Beier/Wooten (P) 8-6
3. Rodriguez/Sufi (P) def. Andrea Morgado/Paige Brown (TCU) 8-2
Order of singles finish: 1, 2, 6, 5, 3, 4
Order of doubles finish: 3, 1, 2
* Denotes match-clinching win.
Purdue: 2-6 (0-1 Big Ten)
TCU: 8-1
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