April 1, 2012
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 33 Purdue women's tennis team got back on track on Sunday as it snapped a two game skid with a 6-1 win over Michigan State. The match was played indoors despite the sunny weather due to rains in the morning that soaked the outdoor courts.
Purdue (11-3, 3-2 Big Ten) rolled through doubles as it swept the point. Jennifer Rabot and Mara Schmidt cruised at No. 1 topping Nicole Herzog and Michaela Silesova, 8-2. Daniela Vidal and Lynda Xepoleas clinched the point with a strong 8-4 win at No. 2 over Marina Bohrer and Dana Guentert. Imogen Golder and Gisella Pere were able to break free from a back-and-forth match to win at No. 3 and complete the sweep, 8-6.
The Boilermakers continued dominate in singles. Rabot made quick work of Olga Chernova at No. 1, winning 6-1, 6-1 to give Purdue the 2-0 lead. Pere was next with a 6-3, 6-0 win at No. 5 to bring the team within one point of the victory.
Vidal clinched the team win with another great performance on the No. 4 court. The freshman improved to 13-1 in dual match singles play with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Katarina Lingl. Schmidt was next with a one-sided match of her own. The sophomore finished off Silesova, 6-0, 6-2, to give the Boilermakers the 5-0 lead.
Michigan State (8-8, 0-5) finally got on the board with a win at No. 2. Bohrer needed a tiebreaker with Xepoleas to give the Spartans their first point of the afternoon. Bohrer won, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (11-9). The final match was the only full three setter of the day. There, Golder and Julianne Gruber went back and forth until finally Golder was able to win 2-6, 6-2, 7-5 to make the final score 6-1.
Purdue is now 26-14 all-time against the Spartans.
The Boilermakers will finish off their four match home stand next weekend as they host another pair of Big Ten foes. Purdue will host Nebraska next Saturday and Iowa on Sunday. Both matches are scheduled to start at noon ET.