Jan. 25, 2013
EVANSTON, Ill. - The No. 26 Purdue women's tennis team opened up its dual match season with a 4-3 win over No. 32 Washington State in the opening round of ITA's Kick-Off Weekend.
Purdue (1-0) started the afternoon off by taking the doubles point. Krisztina Kapitany and Mara Schmidt dominated the No. 1 match. The duo defeated Andjela Kankaras and Ksenia Googe, 8-2 after reeling off five consecutive games to close the match. Lynda Xepoleas and Daniela Vidal led Liudmila Vasileva and Elizaveta Luzina 6-3, and managed to hold off a furious comeback from the Cougar's No. 2 to hold on to win their match 8-6. In the No. 3 doubles match, Imogen Golder and Gisella Pere were trailing 6-3 before making a comeback of their own to tie the match at 7-7 before the match was abandoned since Purdue clinched the doubles point.
Washington State (3-1) evened the score after No. 80 Xepoleas fell in her No. 1 match to Liudmila Vasileva 6-4, 6-2. Schmidt, the No. 108 player in the country, played at No. 2 and earned Purdue its first singles point in a quick contest 6-3, 6-3. Pere gave Purdue their third point of the match when she defeated Charlotte Koning 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 6 match.
Golder, a senior, dropped her No. 5 singles match to Washington State's Olga Musilovich 7-6, 6-3. In the No. 3 match, Purdue Sophomore Vidal, won her first set 6-2. Vidal then dropped a tough second set 6-4 but came back and played her best set to seal the match for Purdue 6-1. Freshman Kapitany was defeated in her No. 4 singles match to Elizaveta Luzina in a long three set match 3-6, 6-1, 7-5.
The Boilermakers will play No. 14 Northwestern Saturday at 2 p.m.CT in a non-conference match of the ITA's Kick-Off Weekend. This is a rematch of the 2012 Big Ten Tournament semifinals. In the consolation match, No. 32 Washington State will face No. 38 Arkansas at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The winner of the Purdue Northwestern match earns a spot in the ITA Team Indoor Championships that will take place next month at the University of Virginia.
Purdue 4, Washington State 3
Doubles
1. Schmidt/Kapitany (PUR) def. Kankaras/Googe (WSU) 8-2
2. Xepoleas/Vidal (PUR) def. Vasilieva/Luzina (WSU) 8-6
3. Golder/Pere (PUR) unfinished Koning/Musilovich (WSU) 7-7 (2-1)
Order of Finish: 1, 2*Singles
1. Liudmila Vasilieva (WSU) def. Lynda Xepoleas (PUR) 6-4, 6-2
2. Mara Schmidt (PUR) def. Andjela Kankaras (WSU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Daniela Vidal (PUR) def. Ksenia Googe (WSU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
4. Elizaveta Luzina (WSU) def. Krisztina Kapitany (PUR) 6-3, 1-6, 7-5
5. Olga Musilovich (WSU) def. Imogen Golder 7-6 (3), 6-3
6. Gisella Pere (PUR) def. Charlotte Koning (WSU) 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 6, 5, 3*, 4