Northwestern University Athletics
NU Ready to Make Statement at Big Ten Championship
4/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 28, 2004
Northwestern game notes for Big Ten Championship
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EVANSTON, Ill.--A No. 4 seed and its best overall record since 1998 is what Northwestern's 46th-ranked men's tennis team (14-8, 5-5 Big Ten) will bring to the Big Ten Championship this week at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.
"We have achieved our goal of being in the upper part of the Big Ten," said head coach Paul Torricelli. "We are a much improved team since last season, and I think we can fare well this week."
Last weekend, the 'Cats were 5-3 in the conference and looking to improve on their fourth-place standing. Instead, they suffered a couple of heartbreaking defeats, falling 4-3 to then-No. 54 Michigan and 5-2 to then-No. 57 Michigan State.
Despite the losses, several Wildcats had solid performances. Tommy Hanus (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Christian Tempke (Wentorf, Germany/Gymnasium Lohbrugge) won both their matches at No. 2 doubles for a 7-4 record, including 5-3 in the Big Ten.
Meanwhile, Chuck Perrin (Atlanta, Ga./The Walker School) was triumphant each day at No. 3 singles. The junior boasts a team-best 23-13 record, including victories in his last three matches.
"We have had a very good year with just one bad weekend, and we will keep that in perspective going into the tournament," said Torricelli. "I am confident we will be ready to go despite those losses."
Fifth-seeded Purdue (10-11, 5-5) will be NU's second-round opponent. The 58th-ranked Boilermakers finished the season with a 5-2 victory over then-No. 59 Indiana on Sunday. They also finished at 5-5 in the Big Ten but lost the tiebreaker to the Wildcats due to Northwestern's victory against them earlier in the year.
The Boilermakers are led by sophomore Paul Rose, who has compiled a 12-8 record at No. 1 singles this year, including a 5-5 record in the Big Ten. Rose has defeated three ranked-opponents this year, the highest being San Diego's 30th-ranked Pierrick Ysern.
"Purdue is different from when we first played them," said Torricelli. "I expect a tough match as both of us will be hungry to get to the semifinals."
The winner will not be given any special treatment, as they will likely face top-seeded Illinois in the semifinals.
