Purdue solid in win

By KATE BLASCHAK
Collegian Sports Writer

Boilermaker freshman Hally Cohen described her team as having amazing comraderie. This became apparent to the Lady Lion tennis team (1-2, 0-2 Big Ten) as Purdue (7-4, 1-0) pulled together with a 7-2 win yesterday at the Penn State Tennis Center.

The win marked the first time the Boilermakers have beaten Penn State since the Lady Lions entered the Big Ten.

Boilermaker Coach Mat Iandolo said before and after the match that his team's strength is its depth.

"Our freshmen have made a great impact on our tennis program and, as a result, our team is substantially better," he said, referring to his second, third, and fourth players -- Mary Beth Magart, Cohen and Amanda Scott, respectively. Both Cohen and Scott won their matches.

Iandolo also said that in some ways, his team was fortunate to walk away with a victory.

"This match was a real mental challenge for us," he added. "It was difficult to overcome the fact that we haven't been that successful here."

This win was also the first Big Ten victory for Iandolo's team.

"Any Big Ten win we get gives us confidence," he said. "This is definitely a good start (for our Big Ten season)."

Iandolo was quick to credit Penn State for a solid, tough match. He described sophomore Olga Novikova, who is currently ranked 29th nationally, as the most talented player in the Big Ten.

"That's the one thing we're missing," he added. "I think if we had someone like Olga Novikova, we'd compete in Big Ten Championships.

Novikova took one of the two Lady Lion wins, triumphing over sophomore Rachel Fiset in the singles competition. She and junior Tricia Lehman later lost to the doubles team of Nan Smith and Alyssa Kohl.

Despite her loss in doubles competition, Lehman prevailed in the only other Penn State win of the match. Lady Lion Coach Sue Whiteside described Lehman's victory as a major breakthrough.

"She's been struggling for a while now, and she's been working hard and this win is very satisfying," she added. "It's really great for her."

Whiteside said the loss was a reality check for her team.

"We need to pump it up a little bit," she said. "We've got to be really dedicated."

Whiteside added that the Lady Lions will have to work harder in practice this week. The team will have two more chances to take a Big Ten victory this weekend when they clash with Michigan and Michigan State.