Northwestern University Athletics
Young Team Showed Talent in 2003-04
5/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
May 17, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--Coming off a tough 2002-03 campaign, Northwestern's men's tennis team was determined to move back into the ranks of the Big Ten's elite in 2003-04. The Wildcats' desire and determination paid off as they finished the year 15-9, their best record since 1998.
"We certainly made progress, and our finish was appropriate for us, but clearly we want to be better," said head coach Paul Torricelli. "Having our freshmen step up and contribute right away certainly helped us."
After losing three seniors to graduation, the young Wildcats used the fall season as an opportunity to improve and gain much-needed experience, considering that freshmen (four) made up almost half the roster (nine).
NU did have some upperclassmen return. Junior Tommy Hanus (Palatine, Ill./Palatine), the team's No.1 singles player, started the season ranked 83rd in singles. At No.1 doubles, junior Chuck Perrin (Atlanta, Ga./The Walker School) was back in form, and senior Ahmed Wahla (Lahore, Pakistan/Lahore American School) was named team captain.
There were plenty of pleasant surprises early on, led by the emergence of freshman Willy Lock (Lima, Peru/Markham College). Lock went 6-1 during the fall season, winning the 7-9 draw of the Big Ten Singles Championship and going nearly flawless at the Boilermaker Invitational.
Two other newcomers, Matt Christian (Troy, Mich./Brother Rice) and Christian Tempke (Wentorf, Germany/Gymnasium Lohbr?gge), also had strong fall seasons to solidify their standing in the Wildcat lineup. Christian went 5-3 in the fall and undefeated at the Boilermaker, while Tempke notched a 6-3 mark and advanced to the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Singles Championship.
None of the new 'Cats could quite match the fall season of Perrin, though. He was 11-5 in singles, advancing to the consolation finals of the adidas Invitational and the Big Ten Singles Championship as well as the Round of 16 at the ITA Midwest Championships. He also showed off his well-rounded game in doubles, as he won all of his doubles matches at the Boilermaker Invitational.
"The new guys showed a lot of promise," said Torricelli. "But then again, we saw potential in everyone."
With a No. 58 ranking and a difficult nonconference schedule, the 'Cats were ready to become even more battle-tested before Big Ten play began. The Wildcats started their 2004 dual season by hitting the road, traveling to Salt Lake City to face Weber State and Utah.
The 'Cats left Salt Lake City with two victories in hand after defeating Weber State 7-0 and Utah 6-1, both in impressive fashion. Everyone was able to get in on the action, as freshman Jamie Friedland (Glen Cove, N.Y./St. Stephen's), Christian and Lock all earned their first career dual victories with triumphs over the Big Sky Conference's Wildcats. Justin Hoeveler (Ross, Calif./The Branson School) also had a solid 3-0 weekend for Northwestern.
After a weekend in Minneapolis in which the team fell to 2-2 overall (0-1 Big Ten), the Wildcats headed home for an eight-match home stand. NU led off with an impressive victory against then-No. 25 Pepperdine. The Waves jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead, but the 'Cats rallied to steal the 4-3 victory. Sophomore Adam Schaechterle (Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine) capped the win with his thrilling 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-1 win at No. 6.
Three matches and three wins later, another pair of ranked opponents came to Evanston, as then-No. 21 Harvard and then-No. 25 Arkansas attempted to stop Northwestern's 4-0 record at home. The Crimson were successful in stopping Northwestern's momentum, blanking the Wildcats 7-0.
The always-resilient 'Cats came back the next day and edged the Razorbacks 4-3. After earning the key doubles point, Perrin, Christian and Lock came through with straight-set victories in singles.
In a rare weekday match on Feb. 18, the Wildcats downed city rival DePaul 7-0 for their second shutout of the year. NU concluded its home stand with a loss to then-No. 50 Notre Dame.
Northwestern stood at 8-4 with a No. 40 ranking as it began the main portion of its Big Ten schedule. For their first two matches, the Wildcats fought off Wisconsin and Indiana with 4-3 decisions before spring break.
In mid-March, the 'Cats flew to South Carolina to take on Coastal Carolina, sweeping the Chanticleers to conclude their nonconference schedule.
When the team returned to Evanston, then-No. 75 Purdue and then-No.1 Illinois were waiting. Northwestern was able to hold off Purdue 5-2, as Hanus reeled off a straight-set triumph to clinch the match. Things did not go as well against Illinois as the Wildcats fell 7-0. Even with the defeat, the 'Cats still were 3-2 in the Big Ten and looking at the opportunity to significantly improve on last year's 3-7 record.
Next up were three away contests. First on the list was a battle with Iowa, which fell 5-2 to NU. The win moved Northwestern to fourth place in the conference behind Illinois, Minnesota and its next opponent, Ohio State. The Buckeyes were not as friendly as the Hawkeyes, downing the Wildcats 5-2.
Northwestern's final road match of the year brought it to State College, Pa. to take on Penn State. NU's 6-1 win over the Nittany Lions allowed it to finish its road schedule on a high note.
At Vandy Christie Tennis Center, the Wildcats played host to battle Michigan and Michigan State in the final Big Ten matches of the year. While they had hoped to solidify their fourth-place standing, the 'Cats left the door open by falling to the Wolverines 4-3 and the Spartans 5-2.
Fortunately, the Wildcats kept their standing and subsequently earned the fourth seed and a first-round bye in the Big Ten Championship in East Lansing, Mich.
Against fifth-seeded Purdue, the duos of Hoeveler-Perrin and Hanus-Tempke gave the 'Cats the doubles point en route to a 4-1 decision.
In the semifinals, Northwestern faced the daunting task of battling top-seeded Illinois once again. The Fighting Illini, who eventually won the tournament, eliminated the 'Cats with a 4-0 sweep.
Little did NU know that the Illinois contest was its last match of the year. With a 15-9 record and a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten, the 'Cats were hopeful that an NCAA tournament berth was on their horizon. Sadly, the NCAA committee left the Wildcats out of the field of 64, thus ending their best year in the past six years.
"I thought we were good enough to make the tournament," said Torricelli. "The failure to receive a bid remains an unanswered question, especially given our record and ranking. But with basically the whole team back next year, we expect to be better."
Still, the team did have a lot to boast about. Northwestern was ranked as high as No. 33. All of the singles players had records of two games below .500 or better, with Perrin leading the way at 24-13. Schaechterle showcased his doubles skills again this year, ending with a team-best 18-9 record.
On top of that, all the starters will return next season. Thus, the 2004-05 squad, which will have a lot of experience under its belt, can continue its trend of improvement.
