April 28, 2005
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A tough season came to an end for the Purdue men's tennis team Thursday, as the Boilermakers fell 4-1 to No. 62 Penn State in a first-round match at the Big Ten Championships in Champaign, Ill. Purdue, the 11th seed in the tournament, finished its 2005 campaign with a 3-17 record, while the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions improved to 14-5. The victors will face third-seeded Michigan in a Friday quarterfinal.
Purdue, the longest shot of the tournament, jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Penn State by claiming the doubles point. Senior David Robinson and sophomore Eric Hodgman finished first, with an 8-4 win over Mark Barry and Malcolm Scatliffe at No. 1. The senior pair of Sounak Chatterjee and Filip Koziell soon followed, beating Ryan Berger and Bradley Hunter 8-6 at No. 2.
The Boilermakers needed three more singles wins to pull the upset; they got none. Penn State reeled off four straight victories at Nos. 4, 3, 1 and 2 to terminate Purdue's season. Zollman was close to winning at No. 6 before his match was abandoned.
Not only did Penn State end Purdue's year, but it also finished the careers of Chatterjee, Koziell and Robinson. Six Boilermakers will return for 2005-06, including top player Paul Rose, who was in and out of the lineup the last month and a half due to a knee injury. Four others will join the program as freshmen next fall.
Eleventh-year Purdue head coach Tim Madden reflected on the conclusion of the season, while also looking toward the future.
"No question this was a disappointing year," Madden said. "We all wish we could have somehow made it better, but we can't turn back time. Our focus now is on next season and how we can get better and be more competitive. It's up to each and every one of us to try to turn this experience into something positive."
Madden wished his seniors well.
"I am very proud of Sounak, Filip and David," Madden said. "They have been great teammates and tremendous representatives of our program and our university. They will always be a part of the Purdue tennis family."
#62 Penn State 4, Purdue 1
Singles
1. #85 Mark Barry (PS) def. Filip Koziell (P) 6-3, 6-3
2. Malcolm Scatliffe (PS) def. David Robinson (P) 6-4, 6-4 *
3. Ryan Berger (PS) def. Colin Foster (P) 6-3, 6-1
4. Bradley Hunter (PS) def. Scott Warner (P) 6-2, 6-0
5. Michael James (PS) vs. Eric Hodgman (P) 7-6 (10), 5-3 DNF
6. Matt Zollman (P) vs. James Dwyer (PS) 7-6 (6), 5-2 DNF
Doubles
1. Robinson/Hodgman (P) def. Barry/Scatliffe (PS) 8-4
2. Sounak Chatterjee/Koziell (P) def. Berger/Hunter (PS) 8-6
3. Foster/Warner (P) vs. Chris Sherman/James (PS) 7-7 DNF
* Denotes match-clinching victory.
Order of singles finish: 4, 3, 1, 2
Order of doubles finish: 1, 2
No. 6 seed Penn State: 14-5
No. 11 seed Purdue: 3-17
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