IU slips by ranked Purdue, Illinois

Like a broken record, the No. 43 Hoosiers again slipped past No. 61 Purdue and No. 51 Illinois in this weekend's 4-3 road wins.\nLast year, IU beat both teams the same way -- with 4-3 victories.\n"This was just a great start for us because all three of our Big Ten wins have been on the road," said IU coach Lin Loring. "We're obviously at the top (of the Big Ten) now."\nThe weekend kicked off in West Lafayette against the Boilermakers, now 2-9 overall and 0-2 in conference play.\nIU (9-7, 3-0 Big Ten) swept the doubles point even though all three matches were once tied 3-3. The doubles point was crucial in both matches because IU's singles wins were split evenly both times, Loring said.\nIn singles play, sophomore Laura McGaffigan and senior Dora Vastag set the tone early.\nAt the No. 3 spot, McGaffigan gave the Hoosiers their second point with her 6-1, 6-1 besting of Purdue's Shawna Zuccarini.\nVastag then added the exclamation point from her No. 1 position when she defeated the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's No. 74-ranked Hala Sufi (6-3, 6-1).\n"It was a great win for me," Vastag said. "I was very happy with the way I played. I got a lot of confidence out of it."\nIU was up 3-0, but what looked like a sure-fire win began slipping away.\nFreshman Brianna Williams fell at the No. 5 position (6-3, 6-2), with senior Dominka Walterova following in her 6-1, 6-4 loss. Junior Sarah Batty followed suit with a tough two-set loss.\nWith the score tied at 3-3, sophomore Cecile Perton found herself in what would be a familiar position by the end of the weekend.\nPerton pulled out a three-set victory, giving IU the win over its archrival.\nIU then traveled to Champaign, Ill., for its next victory over the Illini (8-6, 2-1), but a new day would bring a new set of winners.\nThe Hoosiers again swept the doubles point, but singles play was anything but familiar as Vastag and McGaffigan both fell.\nLike the day before, IU jumped up 3-1 fast with Batty's and Williams' victories.\nThe last singles matches of the day then came down to the three-set losses, and like the day before, the fourth point was elusive.\n"It wasn't easy," Perton said. "I think I played well -- I didn't know it was the deciding match at the time."\nAgain, she was victorious, propelling IU to another 4-3 victory.\n"It came down to a team effort," Loring said. "Everybody took turns winning."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Andy Romey at aromey@indiana.edu.