March 3, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--Northwestern's 44th-ranked men's tennis team (9-4, 1-1 Big Ten) will stay on the road for another match when it battles No. 64 Indiana (5-4, 0-0 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. Friday in Bloomington, Ind.
The Wildcats are looking to win their second conference match after earning a hard-fought 4-3 victory against Wisconsin this past weekend.
"Each match is different, so we will not be thinking of last week at all when we play Indiana," said head coach Paul Torricelli. "Since this is our only match this week, our entire focus will directed toward Indiana."
Matt Christian (Troy, Mich./Brother Rice) and Adam Schaechterle (Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine) teamed for a victory at No. 3 doubles, defeating Ward Bortz and Jordan Raemisch 8-6. Christian and Schaechterle both found success in singles as well, with the former topping Bortz 6-2, 6-4 at No. 5 and the latter outlasting Mark Weinig 3-6, 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6.
Christian Tempke (Wentorf, Germany/Gymnasium Lohbr?gge) put forth another impressive effort for the 'Cats, posting a solid 6-4, 6-2 win over David Hippee at No. 2.
Indiana gave 27th-ranked Virginia all it could handle before falling 4-3 on Sunday. After the Hoosiers lost the doubles point, Jakub Praibis swung the momentum back to Indiana's side with his upset victory over 18th-ranked Doug Stewart 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 at No.1. With the triumph, Praibis improved his record to 8-1 in dual matches this season.
Ryan Recht and John Stone earned the Hoosiers their other two points at Nos. 2 and 6, respectively. Recht and Stone also form the nation's 49th-ranked doubles team and have compiled a 6-3 record for the dual season.
"Indiana will be very tough, especially at home," said Torricelli. "(Bloomington) is always a difficult place to play."
Both teams squared off against Ball State earlier in the season, with the 'Cats defeating the Cardinals 5-2 and the Hoosiers blanking them 7-0.