March 26, 2011
EAST LANSING, Mich. - On the road and looking for a rebound, the 58th-ranked Purdue women's tennis team was successful on Saturday upseting No. 52 Michigan State 4-3 at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility.
Purdue stands 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play after upending then-No. 47 Indiana on Mar. 12.
The Spartans (11-4, 0-2) grabbed two doubles matches from the Boilermakers (8-4, 2-0) to start off the dual. In the top slot, the 31st-ranked Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Amy Barton and Marina Bohrer defeated No. 25 Jennifer Rabot and Mara Schmidt 8-4 while Valentina Rusakova and Michaela Silesova clipped Bhavani Tirumurti and Imogen Golder 8-2 at No. 3.
At No. 2, Anna Dushkina and Gisella Pere edged Nicole Herzog and Whitney Wilson 8-5 to avoid the doubles sweep.
The Boilermakers quickly fired back with Schmidt's easy win over Olga Chernova 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles. Rusakova scored Michigan State's second overall point with a win over Rabot 6-4, 6-2 in the second spot.
To even the match at 2-all, Golder handed Silesova a 6-2 first set and a 6-3 second frame for the win.
Pere made it tough for Dana Guentert to take their first set 7-5 at No. 6. Guentert put Michigan State on the verge of clinching with a 6-1 second set and match win.
Celebrating the 50th win of her career at Purdue, junior Dushkina surpassed Wilson 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) at No. 4 for Purdue's third overall tally.
After winning the Big Ten's Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week award just a week ago, the spotlight once again fell upon Tirumurti to decide the dual. Bohrer pushed the Old Gold and Black's sole senior in the first set with a 7-5 win. Tirumurti came right back with a 6-4 frame No. 2, to force a third set. To clinch for Purdue, the Chennai, India native took the third set 6-3.
The Boilermakers hope to start a streak against No. 5 Michigan Wolverines on Sunday at 11 a.m. ET at the Varsity Tennis Center. Live scoring is available through www.mgoblue.com.
No. 58 Purdue vs. No. 52 Michigan State - Agate
Mar. 26, 2011
East Lansing, Mich. - MSU Indoor Tennis Facility
Purdue (8-4, 2-0) 4, Michigan State 3 (11-4, 0-2)
Doubles
1. No. 31 Amy Barton/Marina Bohrer (MSU) def. No. 25 Jennifer Rabot/Mara Schmidt (Purdue) 8-4
2. Anna Dushkina/Gisella Pere (Purdue) def. Nicole Herzog/Whitney Wilson (MSU) 8-5
3. Valentina Rusakova/Michaela Silesova (MSU) def. Bhavani Tirumurti/Imogen Golder (Purdue) 8-2
Order of Finish: 3,1*,2
Singles
1. Valentina Rusakova (MSU) def. Jennifer Rabot (Purdue) 6-4, 6-2
2. Bhavani Tirumurti (Purdue) def. Marina Bohrer (MSU) 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
3. Mara Schmidt (Purdue) def. Olga Chernova (MSU) 6-1, 6-0
4. Anna Dushkina (Purdue) def. Whitney Wilson (MSU) 6-3, 7-6 (6)
5. Imogen Golder (Purdue) def. Michaela Silesova (MSU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Dana Guentert (MSU) def. Gisella Pere (Purdue) 7-5, 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 5, 6, 4, 2*