Jan. 26, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - No. 49 Purdue (1-0) started its 2008 dual season on a good note, blanking Middle Tennessee State 7-0 Saturday at the Murfreesboro Racquet Club.
The shutout victory was the Boilermakers' first since March 24 of last year when they defeated Michigan State at home. Purdue pitched five shutouts in 2007.
"Everything I've been talking to the team about finally came into play," said head coach Laura Glitz. "There was great energy down the line from start to finish. They competed hard. They were intense and they wanted to win.
"Middle Tennessee is not the strongest team, but it's far from being the weakest either. It was great to see our team come together."
Purdue swept all three doubles matches, posting scores of 8-5, 8-4 and 8-2 from the first to third positions.
Singles play was even more dominant as the Boilermakers lost just one of 13 sets. Senior Brooke Beier handed her opponent, Stephanie Parkison, a double bagel at the top spot, winning 6-0, 6-0.
Junior Stephanie Wooten came close to duplicating Beier's accomplishment, defeating Claudia Szabo at No. 3, 6-1, 6-0.
Cigdem Duru, Joanna Craven and Alejandra Boeker also won in straight sets at the 2, 4 and 6 positions. At No. 5, Anna Dzeva defeated Marlene Chemin in three sets, 6-4, 4-6, 10-6.
The Boilermakers' road gets tougher Sunday when they visit No. 22 Tennessee, which recently improved to 3-0 following a 6-1 win over Illinois.
Purdue and the Lady Vols begin competition at 1 p.m. Live results are available through the women's tennis schedule pages at purduesports.com and utladyvols.com.