May 12, 2006
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - A major upset propelled the Purdue women's tennis team into the second round of the NCAA Championships, as the 43rd-ranked Boilermakers knocked off 17th-ranked Harvard on Friday at the Combe Tennis Center in Evanston, Ill. The NCAA tournament win is the first in school history for Purdue, which is making its fourth postseason trip.
Head coach Mat Iandolo said the victory will be one to remember.
"No question this is one of the biggest wins in the history of our program," Iandolo said. "To win our first NCAA match against a team as talented and veteran as Harvard is monumental. And to do it with such a young team makes it that much more impressive."
The youthful Boilermakers came through once again for Iandolo. But Harvard's experience gave it the edge early. The first doubles match off the court was an 8-5 Crimson win at No. 2.
The Boilermakers responded, with wins at No. 2 and No. 1 to take the doubles point. The former came first, as senior Brittany Minna teamed with freshman Anna Dzeva for an 8-4 win over Preethi Mukundan and Cindu Chu. Next, sophomore Brooke Beier and Mallory Voelker pulled out a momentum-swinging upset, a 9-8 defeat of third-ranked Melissa Anderson and Elsa O'Riain.
The two wins gave Purdue the doubles point and a 1-0 lead, something Iandolo considered most critical.
"We knew going in we would have to win the doubles point," Iandolo said. "Brittany and Anna came up big, but Brooke and Mal managed to trump them. If we don't get that win at No. 1, the complexion of the match is totally different."
Purdue entered singles needing to win three more matches. Voelker finished first, with a 6-3, 6-2 decision over Laura Peterzan at No. 3. Harvard finally got on board with wins at No. 6 and No. 4 to even the score at 2-2.
Dzeva put the Boilermakers back on the scoreboard with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Mukundan at No. 5. Freshman Randi Schuler, ranked 106th, then delivered the match-clinching victory: a 7-5, 6-4 win against No. 118 Eva Wang.
The win improved Purdue to 14-10. The Boilermakers, who beat No. 19 Kentucky in February, now have two wins over top 20 teams to their credit this season.
Harvard, winners of four straight Ivy League titles, finished its season with an 18-7 record.
Purdue advances to meet No. 9 Northwestern on Saturday in Evanston at noon. The Wildcats advanced to the second round with a 4-0 win over Illinois-Chicago on Friday. Purdue is 0-2 against Northwestern this spring.
#43 Purdue 4, #17 Harvard 2
Singles
1. #106 Randi Schuler (P) def. #118 Eva Wang (H) 7-5, 6-4 *
2. Elsa O'Riain (H) vs. Brooke Beier (P) no result
3. Mallory Voelker (P) def. Laura Peterzan (H) 6-3, 6-2
4. Melissa Anderson (H) def. Stephanie Wooten (P) 6-2, 6-2
5. Anna Dzeva (P) def. Preethi Mukundan (H) 6-2, 6-4
6. Stephanie Schnitter (H) def. Brittany Minna (P) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
1. Beier/Voelker (P) def. #3 Anderson/O'Riain (H) 9-8 (7)
2. Wang/Schnitter (H) def. Wooten/Schuler (P) 8-5
3. Minna/Dzeva (P) def. Mukundan/Cindy Chu (H) 8-4
Order of singles finish: 3,6,4,5,1
Order of doubles finish: 2,3,1
* Denotes match-clinching victory.
Purdue: 14-10
Harvard: 18-7
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