May 11, 2002

NCAA Division I Men’s Tennis Championships
First Round
Courtney Tennis Center
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind.
May 11, 2002

First Round: Purdue 4, Ball State 1

Purdue head coach Tim Madden

On the match…
“Ball State came out with more energy than us right away. They took the doubles point from us during the regular season and our job was to try and come out with more energy and we didn’t do that. But with the conditions outdoors today, a little chilly, a little windy, no sun, I think it was tough for them to maintain that energy. I think our team has improved each week this season and we play with a lot of experience. I think we were the smarter team today. Competition was high on both ends of the court, but we played some smart tennis and that helped with the singles. We had a couple positions that won decisively and that really helped the confidence of the entire team. With Troy Havens playing on what used to be his home practice court, it was great to have him clinch the match for us today. Being in the round of thirty-two in the NCAA Championships is a big deal to our team. We have never been to the final sixteen so whoever is there with us tomorrow can expect a battle.

On matching up with Notre Dame and Michigan…
“We have played both teams already this year. We did very well against Michigan. We were beaten badly by Notre Dame so I have mixed feelings. If we play Michigan, I am sure they will play as if they have nothing to lose but we should be more confident. If we play Notre Dame, it will be fun because we will just go out and play because they are supposed to win. So if we can get a little feisty and keep it close, it should be a great day.”

Purdue Sophomore Troy Havens

On his match today…
“With the conditions being cold and windy, the match was pretty ugly. My first serve is usually what I rely on, but it was not very effective today so I just tried to keep more balls in off the serve, which was ugly, but effective.

On his homecoming…
“It was pretty nice coming home. I grew up around here and when I practiced this [Notre Dame] is where I practiced. I love playing here because I grew up playing here and it is great to come home because there is always a lot of support.”

Ball State head coach Bill Richards

On the match today…
“After a competitive doubles point, the key was at four and five singles. Purdue’s seniors really took it to us, which put them up really quickly and made a deep whole for us to climb out of, so I give them a lot of credit. We have been pretty good at the bottom of the line up this year. With today’s match we were holding our own at Nos. 1, 2, 3 singles, but they really took it to us in the other three.”

On the weather conditions…
“I wish we would have been moved inside a little earlier. If we had, we might have had a better chance of turning the No. 6 singles match round. Even though it was cool outside, the playing conditions were not that bad outside. So I really don’t think the weather affected this match one way or the other.”