Boilers prepare to face
Big Ten in weekend conference action
By Doug Healey
Staff
Writer
The Purdue women's tennis team will look for its
first Big Ten victory as Wisconsin and Minnesota visit West Lafayette.
The Boilers (3-12, 0-4 Big Ten) are looking to
bounce back from their 6-1 loss to Indiana at the Lafayette Sports Center
last Sunday.
At 1 p.m. on Saturday, the Boilermakers play host
to Wisconsin (6-10, 1-3 Big Ten) at the Purdue Varsity Tennis Courts.
The Badgers' lone victory in the Big Ten was a
6-1 win over Michigan State. They have lost to Michigan, Ohio State
and Penn State.
At 11 a.m. on Sunday the Boilers play Minnesota
(10-3, 2-2 Big Ten) at the Purdue Varsity Tennis Courts.
After a 4-3 start and losses to Ohio State and
Penn State, the Gophers are on a six game winning streak that includes
victories over Big Ten opponents Michigan and Michigan State.
Purdue coach Mat Iandolo said it's a good opportunity
for the Boilers to get their first conference victory.
"Both matches are ones we should have a good chance
to win because the teams are evenly matched," he said. "The two teams
coming in are close to us in ability, so we've got to be ready to play."
Iandolo said that when two evenly matched teams
play, the mentally tougher team usually wins. And any time two evenly
matched teams play, the doubles point is crucial to victory.
"The doubles point will factor big-time," said
Iandolo. "But I think we can still win even if we lose the doubles point."
The Boilers will be outside, which Iandolo said
favors Purdue and allows more fans to attend the match because of the
on-campus location of the Purdue Varsity Tennis Courts.
"That's huge," said Iandolo. "Minnesota and Wisconsin
are definitely indoor teams. Outside is more of a thinking game and
playing indoors favors the big hitters. It's an advantage because we've
practiced and played outside for about a month. I guarantee we have
played more outside than both of them."
Although it favors the Boilers to play outside,
they will still have to play well in singles to earn the victory.
"We're gonna have to play a lot better at No. 5
and No. 6 than we did against IU," said Iandolo. "Playing at a high
level at No. 5 and No. 6 will help us win."
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