Hawkeyes Fall to No. 33 Boilermakers, 5-2

Hawkeyes Fall to No. 33 Boilermakers, 5-2

April 4, 2014

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa men’s tennis team dropped its first home match of the season Friday afternoon, falling to the 33rd-ranked Purdue Boilermakers by a final score of 5-2. The Hawkeyes fall to 9-8 (1-4), while Purdue improves to 12-3 (4-1).

“Purdue is a very good team. It was a real challenge for us. Overall, we played a pretty good level of tennis,” said UI head coach Steve Houghton. “I was particularly happy with Matt Hagan and Dominic Patrick. Both guys seem to be on a pretty good run right now. We continue to improve match-by-match even though it doesn’t show in the final scores.”

The match opened up with three closely contested doubles matches. Seniors Brian Alden and Micahel Swank fought hard in the No. 1 position but fell to Purdue’s top doubles team, 8-6. Iowa’s No. 3 doubles team, made up of seniors Chase Tomlins and Joey White, forced Mark Kovacs and Mateus Silva to a tiebreaker. In the end, Kovacs and Silva would secure the doubles point for Purdue with a 7-5 victory in the tiebreaker. The third doubles match, featuring Jonas Dierckx and Hagan was tied at 7-7, but went unfinished after Purdue had clinched the doubles point.

Iowa tied the match at 1-1 quickly in singles action, as Hagan recorded a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles over Purdue’s Aaron Dujovne. Purdue regained the lead, 2-1, with a victory at No. 6 singles, but the Hawkeyes answered with their second singles victory of the afternoon. Sophomore Dominic Patrick defeated Diego Acosta, 6-4, 6-4, to record his 12th victory of the spring season. Purdue finished the meet with victories at the No. 1, 2, and 3 positions.

“Their [Hagan and Patrick] practice routines have improved and have transitioned pretty quickly into being better match players,” said Houghton. “They have also picked up their intensity in matches and not play as many loose points as they were earlier in the year.”

The Hawkeyes won’t have to wait long to bounce back, as they host Indiana on Sunday.

“We have another hard Big Ten match coming up with Indiana,” added Houghton. “Our guys are building confidence and have the ability to win that match. “

First serve is scheduled for noon (CT). Weather permitting, the match will be played outdoors on the Klotz Tennis Courts at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. Admission is free to the public.

No. 33 Purdue 5, Iowa 2
Doubles
No. 1 – Medinilla/Szymon (PUR) def. Alden/Swank (UI): 8-6
No. 2 – Hagan/Dierckx (UI) vs. Acosta/Dujovne (PUR): 7-7, unfinished
No. 3 – Kovacs/Silva (PUR) def. Tomlins/White (UI): 8-7 (7-5)

Singles
No. 1 – Szymon Tatarczyk (PUR) def. Jonas Dierckx (UI): 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 – Ricky Medinilla (PUR) def. Brian Alden (UI): 7-5, 6-2
No. 3 – Mark Kovacs (UI) def. Juan Estenssoro (UI): 7-5, 6-4
No. 4 – Matt Hagan (UI) def. Aaron Dujovne (PUR): 6-0, 6-1
No. 5 – Dominic Patrick (UI) def. Diego Acosta (PUR): 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 – Mateus Silva (PUR) def. Michael Swank (UI): 6-0, 6-4

Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3); Singles (4,6,5,2,1,3)