Hurricanes To Challenge Indiana, Illinois
Feb. 28, 2003
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (www.hurricanesports.com) – – The University of Miami’s schedule doesn’t get any easier this weekend when the No. 32-ranked Hurricanes face Indiana and No. 1 Illinois in Champaign.
Saturday, the Hurricanes will play a rugged No. 42 Indiana squad with a 9-1 record. The Hurricanes lead the all-time series with IU 7-0.
While IU will be a considerable test for Miami, Illinois boasts one of the top lineups in the nation. The Hurricanes will take to the court against Illinois Sunday.
The Illini have three players ranked in the top 20 (six ranked in top 60) in singles play. Each of their doubles pairings are also ranked nationally.
The Hurricanes counter with one of the nation’s best in No. 18 Todd Widom (Coral Springs, Fla./JP Taravella High School) and a young team with a 5-1 record.
In November, Widom faced Amer Delic of Illinois (now ranked No. 3 in the nation) at the Omni Hotels National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships (Farmers Branch, Texas) and lost 7-6 (2), 7-5. No other Hurricane on the current roster has experience against the Illinis. UM leads the all-time series 1-0.
Delic is 18-4 through 2002-03, while Widom is 15-4. The Hurricane sophomore made it to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament last season with wins over Penn State’s Jamie Gresh and Duke’s Phillip King. He was honored as an All-American, the first in former coach Jay Berger’s five-year career. Delic went to the Final Four, but in the doubles bracket and finished the season ranked No. 12 in singles.
UM coach Bryan Getz was not sure whether Illinois would challenge Widom with Delic, No. 2-ranked Phil Stolt or another elite class singles player.
Against teams ranked higher than them, the No. 32 Hurricanes are 1-1 with a 4-3 win over then No. 12-ranked Texas A&M and a 6-1 loss to previously No. 6-ranked Florida. The Gators are now ranked second in the nation.
Overall, UM is 5-1 on the season with wins over Florida Atlantic, North Carolina State, Florida A&M, and Florida State as well as Texas A&M.
Although the win over Texas A&M was significant, especially given the Aggies’ high ranking at the time, coach Bryan Getz said he considers Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Seminoles the most critical, especially given the rivalry the two schools have traditionally shared.
UM’s Colin Purcell (Louisville, Ky.) clinched the match against the Seminoles when he defeated Heiner Tadault 6-1, 5-7, 6-3 at fourth singles.
Widom (Coral Springs, Fla.) handled Mat Cloer 6-2, 6-4 in first singles while Eric Hechtman (Miami, Fla.) defeated Chris Westerhof 5-7, 6-2, 6-4 and Shauny Hoyes (Miami, Fla.) edged Rodrigo Laub 7-6 (7), 4-6, 1-0 (5).
In doubles play, Andrew Golub (Miami, Fla.) and Purcell upended Laub and Cloer 8-5, while Widom and Hechtman defeated Westerhof and Jeff Groslimond 8-6.
