April 2, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - One point is all that separated No. 39 Purdue from No. 2 Notre Dame on Sunday. Unfortunately, the slight edge went to the Fighting Irish, who defeated the Boilermaker women's tennis team 4-3 at the Lafayette Sports Center.
Notre Dame improved to 18-1 with the victory. The loss for Purdue, its first on its home court this season, brought the Boilermakers' record to 8-6 (3-1 Big Ten).
Despite the defeat, Purdue head coach Mat Iandolo praised the effort of his Boilermakers.
"I couldn't be prouder of how hard we played," Iandolo said. "We competed as well as I could have hoped for, but just came up a little short against one of the best teams in the country."
The Irish arrived in Lafayette having won the doubles point in each of its 18 previous matches. They ran their record to 19 straight by winning all three pairs contests. At No. 1, the third-ranked twin tandem of Catrina and Christian Thompson downed the Boilermaker pair of sophomore Brooke Beier and freshman Mallory Voelker 8-2. Lauren Connolly and Kristina Stastny clinched the point with an 8-4 win over Purdue senior Brittany Minna and freshman Anna Dzeva at No. 3.
After Minna and freshman Randi Schuler dropped their matches at No. 6 and No. 1 singles, the Boilermakers found themselves trailing 3-0. The Boilermakers battled on the four remaining courts to keep the outcome in doubt, but freshman Mallory Voelker was unable to hold off Brook Buck at No. 3; Buck clinched the team victory with a 7-5, 7-6 win.
After the match was decided, Beier, sophomore Stephanie Wooten, and Dzeva each recorded three-set wins for Purdue. Beier upset 74th-ranked Christian Thompson 6-4, 0-6, 6-2 at No. 2.
Purdue will have a chance to get back on track Wednesday, when it plays host to Western Michigan at 1 p.m. The match will be played either at the Varsity Tennis Courts or Lafayette Sports Center, depending on the weather.
#2 Notre Dame 4, #39 Purdue 3
Singles
1. #30 Catrina Thompson (ND) def. #60 Randi Schuler (P) 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
2. Brooke Beier (P) def. #74 Christian Thompson (ND) 6-4, 0-6, 6-2
3. Brook Buck (ND) def. Mallory Voelker (P) 7-5, 7-6 *
4. Stephanie Wooten (P) def. #100 Kelcy Tefft (ND) 6-0, 2-6, 7-6
5. Anna Dzeva (P) def. Kristina Stastny (ND) 4-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Katie Potts (ND) def. Brittany Minna (P) 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
1. #3 Thompson/Thompson (ND) def. Beier/Voelker (P) 8-2
2. #29 Buck/ Tefft (ND) def. Wooten/Schuler (P) 8-4
3. Lauren Connolly/Stastny (ND) def. Minna/Dzeva (P) 8-4
Order of singles finish: 6,1,3,2,4,5
Order of doubles finish: 1,3,2
* Denotes match-clinching victory.
Purdue: 8-6, 3-1 Big Ten
Notre Dame: 18-1
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