March 31, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 33 Purdue women's tennis team dropped a close match with No. 14 Michigan on Saturday at the Schwartz Tennis Center. The Boilermakers lost 5-2 in a match that was played outdoors in temperatures near 50 degrees Fahrenheit.
Michigan (11-5, 4-0 Big Ten) came out in doubles and took command from the start. The Wolverines were able to sweep the point despite two of the matches being close. Jennifer Rabot and Mara Schmidt faced the most difficult duo from the Wolverines, Emina Bektas and Brooke Bolender, who are ranked No. 7 in the nation. The Michigan pair won, 8-3. Mimi Nguyen and Michelle Sulahian clinched the point with an 8-5 win at No. 2 over Lynda Xepoleas and Daniela Vidal. Sam Critser and Sarah Lee completed the sweep with a back-and-forth win at No. 3, 8-6.
Purdue (10-3, 2-2) evened the match at one with a great performance from Vidal at No. 4. The freshman improved to 12-1 in dual match singles play with a 6-4, 6-0 win over Nguyen. From there, though, the Wolverines would win the next four matches at Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 5 to put the Boilermakers away. Imogen Golder wrapped up the match with a nice comeback win at No. 6, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6) to make the final score 5-2. Golder is now 6-1 in dual match singles play.
The Boilermakers drop to 13-34 all-time against the Wolverines.
Purdue will be back in action on Sunday to host the Michigan State Spartans. For a preview of the match, check PurdueSports.com for the Michigan and Michigan State preview. The Boilermakers will take on the Spartans at noon. The match is scheduled to be outdoors, but a chance of rain may force the teams inside. Live scoring will be available on the Purdue athletics website.