Hot for Boilermakers
Netwomen hope to scare off Purdue

By KATE BLASCHAK
Collegian Sports Writer

After a botched spring break road trip to Louisiana due to intense storms, the women's tennis team is prepared to take on Purdue at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday at the Penn State Tennis Club.

The Lady Lions (1-1, 0-1 Big Ten) have never lost to Purdue (6-4, 0-0 Big Ten) while members of the Big Ten, but history might be changed in this dual-meet competition.

Boilermaker Coach Mat Iandolo said his team is ready to start its Big Ten competition and is expecting a tough matchup with the Lady Lions.

He stressed his confidence in his second, third, and fourth singles players, who are freshmen. He compared the impact that Mary Beth Magart, Halley Cohen and Amanda Scott have had on his tennis program to the impact Lady Lion sophomore Olga Novikova, ranked 29th in the nation, had on Penn State's program last season.

"I expect us to be an upper-division Big Ten school, largely due to the fact that our freshmen have come through for us," Iandolo added.

He said his team's strength is in its depth, which up until this year has been a problem for the Boilermakers.

"This year, we have seven or eight deep, solid players," he said.

Iandolo also said he does not think Penn State's home-court advantage will be of any importance in the competition.

"We've taken some precautions," he added. "We'll be coming in Saturday morning, so we'll have a whole day to get ourselves acclimated."

Penn State Coach Sue Whiteside said she knows Purdue will be looking to beat her team, but added that her squad is focused.

''They are psyched up to take us, but I have confidence in my players," she said. "When we play, Purdue should be the one who is nervous."

Whiteside also said her team has an edge because the Lady Lions are mentally tougher than the Boilermakers. However, each match could go either way, she added.

Iandolo echoed Whiteside's words.

"I feel like it's going to be anybody's ballgame," he said.

Lady Lion freshman Kellie Murphy said the team is confident it is going to win.

"The time off we had because of our canceled meets over spring break was a good break for us," she added. "We've been practicing a lot, and we're ready to go."