Northwestern University Athletics
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Indiana
Northwestern Drops Match At Indiana, 5-2
4/6/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 6, 2008
Bloomington, Ind. -- Northwestern gave a valiant effort in its dual match at No. 39 Indiana on Sunday, but fell to the Hoosiers, 5-2. The Wildcats drop to 7-13 this season and will continue their search for a Big Ten victory next weekend.
Northwestern won the doubles point and took a 1-0 match advantage early over Indiana. Peter Rispoli (Naples, Fla./St. Stephens (Texas)) and Alexander Thams (Stockholm, Sweden/Enskilda Gymnasiet) dominated at No. 3 with an 8-2 win. Marc Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga./Independent Study H.S.) and Alex Sanborn (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) continued their successful play as a tandem, taking the match at No. 1, 8-5, and ensuring the doubles victory.
Juan Gomez (Mexico City, Mexico/South Florida) and David Seyferth (Ann Arbor, Mich./Ann Arbor Pioneer) had hoped to complete the sweep with a win at No. 2, but in a tight match fell to their opponents, 8-6.
Indiana evened the match 1-1 when Thams fell in straight sets at No. 3, 6-2, 6-0. Sophomore captain Alex Sanborn couldn't overcome the play of his opponent, and was ousted in similar fashion at No. 1, 6-1, 6-3.
Juan Gomez had hoped to feed off the success he had in singles at home last weekend. However, he was unable to gain control over the match at No. 5, losing in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, and giving Indiana the 3-1 match edge.
Northwestern closed its gap on Indiana, making it a 3-2 contest, when Peter Rispoli found a victory at No. 4. In an exciting match with intense competition, the freshman Rispoli brought a top performance in taking down his opponent 7-6 (5), 6-3.
With a chance to tie the match, David Seyferth also brought some great competition at No. 6. After losing the first set 6-3, Seyferth found redemption with a 6-4 victory of his own, forcing a crucial third set. In the final frame, Indiana's Michael McCarthy outlasted Seyferth, taking the set 6-3 and clinching the match for the Hoosier's with a 4-2 advantage.
At No. 1, Dwyer had hoped to expand upon his victories from Sunday's doubles and last weekend's big singles win. Unfortunately, after winning the first set, Dwyer couldn't gain control and lost the match, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 6-1.
The 'Cats have shown improvement over the past few weeks as they move through their Big Ten schedule. The Wildcats have three matches remaining to earn their first conference victory before the commencement of Big Ten Championships, April 24.
Northwestern returns to action this weekend to host a pair of Big Ten dual matches. The Wildcats welcome Minnesota at noon Saturday, April 12, before taking on Iowa at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 13.
Singles competition
1. Dara McLoughlin (IND) def. Marc Dwyer (NU) 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 6-1
2. Thomas Richter (IND) def. Alex Sanborn (NU) 6-1, 6-3
3. Phillip Eilers (IND) def. Alexander Thams (NU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Peter Rispoli (NU) def. Lachlan Ferguson (IND) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3
5. Santiago Gruter (IND) def. Juan Gomez (NU) 6-1, 6-4
6. Michael McCarthy (IND) def. David Seyferth (NU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Marc Dwyer/Alex Sanborn (NU) def. Phillip Eilers/Lachlan Ferguson (IND) 8-5
2. Dara McLoughlin/Thomas Richter (IND) def. Juan Gomez/David Seyferth (NU) 8-6
3. Peter Rispoli/Alexander Thams (NU) def. Peter Antons/Santiago Gruter (IND) 8-2
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (3,2,5,4,6,1)
