March 12, 2011
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 57 Purdue women's tennis team defeated instate rival No. 47 Indiana Hoosiers 4-3 on Saturday in thrilling fashion in both teams' Big Ten Conference opener.
Purdue (7-3) overcame their Crimson-Gold Cup foe for the first time since 2006, when the Boilermakers eliminated Indiana from the first round of the Big Ten tournament 4-3 (Champaign, Ill.).
The No. 2 Boilermaker team Anna Dushkina and Gisella Pere fell 8-2 to Kayla Fujimoto and Evgeniya Vertesheva to put the Hoosiers up 1-0 to begin doubles. Bhavani Tirumurti and Imogen Golder quickly evened the score beating Katya Zapadalova and Charlotte Martin 8-3 at No. 3.
At the top doubles spot, No. 18 Jennifer Rabot and Mara Schmidt stayed tight at 6-all with Leslie Hureau and Myriam Sopel. Both team held serve until the Indiana team pulled ahead 8-7. Hureau and Sopel clinched the doubles point 9-7 from there.
At No. 5 singles, sophomore Golder quickly won her first set 6-3 from Fujimoto and closed with authority 6-3, 6-0, tying the overall score 1-1.
Freshman Schmidt faced Vertesheva at No. 2 singles. The pair was at 3-all in the first set until the Hoosier broke Schmidt to win the frame 6-3. Vertesheva took the second set as well 6-3, 6-1.
There was only one break point in the first set between junior Jennifer Rabot and Hureau (No. 61, ITA). Hureau had the break 6-3 for the first. The two stood at 3-3 in set No. 2, but Hureau would triumph 6-3, 6-3.
With Indiana in the critical three-point position (3-1), the first sets of the unfinished matches had all gone to Purdue. At No. 3 Tirumurti was 6-3 over Zapadalova, Dushkina took the first 6-2 over Martin at No. 4 and Pere stood 6-3 over Sopel at No. 6.
Senior Tirumurti faced a much tougher set from Zapadalova in the second. The two held serve until Tirumurti managed a break at 5-4, but Zapadalova struck back with her own, 5-all. They battled it out in a tiebreaker, but Tirumurti continued her run of senior leadership, only allowing three points to Zapadalova, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) for Purdue's second overall point.
Junior Dushkina continued to look strong in her second set with Martin, 3-1. For Purdue's third team point, Dushkina won her next three games for a 6-2, 6-1 final.
The match rested on Pere and Sopel at No. 6 tied at 3-3. The pair traded breaks at from 3-4 and 4-all when Sopel pulled ahead 5-4 in the second. Pere saved herself from three set points at duece before evening 5-5 with Sopel. The Boilermaker would need just eight more points from there to take the match, but Sopel forced a tiebreaker which came up 7-1 for Pere, clinching set and match for Old Gold and Black, 4-3.
"It was a well deserved win today," said head coach Laura Glitz. This was coach Glitz's first win over Indiana since she took the Boilermaker reigns in 2007.
"After losing the doubles point, the team regrouped and fought hard to win the match. It was a battle all the way down the line and I was extremely pleased to see that fight from the team. Gisella played so tough to clinch the match."
The Boilermakers take a spring break trip to Atlanta next week. They play No. 23 Yale Bulldogs in Georgia on March 17 at the Piedmont Park.
For full results and recap please visit purduesports.com.
No. 57 Purdue vs. No. 47 Indiana - Agate
March 12, 2011
West Lafayette, Ind. - Schwartz Tennis Center
Purdue (7-3) 4, Indiana (10-4) 3
Doubles
1. Leslie Hureau/Myriam Sopel (IU) def. No. 18 Jennifer Rabot/Mara Schmidt (PUR) 9-7
2. Kayla Fujimoto/Evgeniya Vertesheva (IU) def. Anna Dushkina/Gisella Pere (PUR) 8-2
3. Bhavani Tirumurti/Imogen Golder (PUR) def. Katya Zapadalova/Charlotte Martin (IU) 8-3
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1*
Singles
1. No. 61 Leslie Hureau (IU) def. Jennifer Rabot (PUR) 6-3, 6-3
2. Evgeniya Vertesheva (IU) def. Mara Schmidt (PUR) 6-3, 6-1
3. Bhavani Tirumurti (PUR) def. Katya Zapadalova (IU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Anna Dushkina (PUR) def. Charlotte Martin (IU) 6-2, 6-1
5. Imogen Golder (PUR) def. Kayla Fujimoto (IU) 6-3, 6-0
6. Gisella Pere (PUR) def. Myriam Sopel (IU) 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
Order of Finish: 5, 2, 1, 3, 4, 6*