April 23, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A dominating performance helped the Purdue women's tennis team get back on the winning track Saturday, as the 52nd-ranked Boilermakers swept Minnesota 7-0 at the Lafayette Sports Center. Purdue moved to 8-12 overall and 5-4 in the Big Ten with the win, while the Golden Gophers fell to 6-13 and 1-8 with the defeat.
The Boilermakers have won three matches by 7-0 scores this season, but the one recorded over Minnesota was the first in which the Boilermakers won all six singles and three doubles matches. The last time a Purdue team accomplished the feat was in its 2004 season opener against DePaul.
At the start, the outcome did not look quite so promising. The Boilermakers fell behind in doubles, and had to fight their way back from deficits in all three contests. On both courts 1 and 2, Minnesota led 7-6 and had the chance to serve for victories. But the Purdue senior pair of Lara Burgarello and Shawna Zuccarini came back to beat Jane Anderson and Ida Malmberg in a tiebreaker at No. 1. Sophomore Hala Sufi and freshman Brooke Beier did the same against Lindsay Risebrough and Danielle Mousseau at No. 2. Senior Amy Walgenbach and freshman Stephanie Wooten added another tiebreak win for the Boilermakers at No. 3.
Purdue head coach Mat Iandolo, who has seen his team win close to 80 percent of its matches when it wins the doubles point, thought the pairs portion of the contest was critical.
"We didn't play very well in doubles, but we played well enough to get the point," Iandolo said. "We knew that if we did that, what ended up happening in singles was a real possibility."
What happened in singles was a Purdue steamrolling of the outmatched Golden Gophers. First off the court was Sufi. Ranked 75th nationally, Sufi crushed No. 91 Nischela Reddy 6-0, 6-1. Following Sufi with victories, in order of finish, were sophomore Alyssa Rodriguez at No. 6, Walgenbach at No. 5, Beier at No. 4, Zuccarini at No. 3, and Wooten at No. 2.
Walgenbach, who won her fifth straight match, did not underestimate the value of the victory, especially heading into a match with No. 49 Iowa on Sunday.
"This was an important win for us because it really helps our confidence going into the Iowa match," Walgenbach said. "The difference today was that everyone stuck in there and had a lot of positive energy."
The result was an end to a brief two-match losing skid suffered last weekend on the road at No. 3 Northwestern and No. 33 Wisconsin. With one regular-season match remaining before the Big Ten Championships, the Boilermakers are looking for one more win prior to the start of postseason play.
"I think today at the start we played like we had a lot to lose. Tomorrow we have a lot to be gained, and I think that will show," Iandolo said.
Purdue and Iowa will square off at 11 a.m., at the Lafayette Sports Center.
#52 Purdue 7, Minnesota 0
Singles
1. #75 Hala Sufi (P) def. #91 Nischela Reddy (M) 6-0, 6-1
2. Stephanie Wooten (P) def. Jane Anderson (M) 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (13-11)
3. Shawna Zuccarini (P) def. Lindsay Risebrough (M) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
4. Brooke Beier (P) def. Ida Malmberg (M) 6-2, 6-3
5. Amy Walgenbach (P) def. Danielle Mousseau (M) 6-2, 6-3 *
6. Alyssa Rodriguez (P) def. Marina Bugaenco (M) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
1. Lara Burgarello/Zuccarini (P) def. Anderson/Malmberg (M) 9-8
2. Sufi/Beier (P) def. Risebrough/Mousseau (M) 9-8
3. Walgenbach/Wooten (P) def. Reddy/Bugaenco (M) 9-8
Order of singles finish: 1, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2
Order of doubles finish: 1, 2, 3
* Denotes match-clinching win.
Purdue: 8-12 (5-4 Big Ten)
Minnesota: 6-13 (1-8 Big Ten)
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