Feb. 16, 2014
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - Powered behind strong singles play, the 30th-ranked Purdue women's tennis team downed No. 44 Arkansas 5-2 Sunday at the George M. Billingsley Tennis Center. The win, which came on the heels of a tough 6-1 loss to No. 24 Oklahoma on Saturday, pushes the Boilermakers' record to 4-3, 0-0 Big Ten.
The Razorbacks (5-4, 0-0 SEC) got the first point on the board by taking doubles. No. 51 Mara Schmidt and Krisztina Kapitany were dealt their second straight setback, an 8-5 loss to Kimberley - Ann Surin and Brittany Huxley in the No. 1 doubles spot. Yang Pang and Oleksandra Shkorupeieva edged the Boilermaker duo of Claudia Escribens and Nicole Robinson, 8-6, at No. 3.
The depth of the Purdue squad took over in singles play, rallying in the third set for five victories. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum picked up her fifth win of the season with a 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 decision over Sarah McLean at No. 4 to get Purdue on the board. Kaptiany (6-3) and freshman Andjela Djokovic (5-1) followed in suite in the Nos. 5 and 6 positions, respectively. Kapitany got past Huxley, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2, and Djokovic survived a test from Shkorupeieva, 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3).
Arkansas got its second point from Pang's 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 1 over Mara Schmidt. Robinson, a freshman from West Palm Beach, Fla., closed the door on any comeback by the Razorbacks by defeating Surin, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, as the No. 3 singles to improve to 6-4. Daniela Vidal (10-1) closed out the winning ways for the Boilermakers with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 win over Hudson in the No. 2 spot.
Big Ten dual match action awaits the Boilermakers when they head to Evanston, Ill., to take on seventh-ranked Northwestern at 12 p.m. ET.
No. 30 Purdue 5, No. 44 Arkansas 2 | Box Score
Doubles
1. Kimberley - Ann Surin/Brittany Huxley (Arkansas) def. No. 51 Mara Schmidt/Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue), 8-5
2. Shannon Hudson/Sarah McLean (Arkansas) led Daniela Vidal/Natalia Davila (Purdue), 6-5, unf.
3. Yang Pang/Oleksandra Shkorupeieva (Arkansas) def. Claudia Escribens/Nicole Robinson (Purdue) 8-6
Singles
1. Yang Pang (Arkansas) def. Mara Schmidt (Purdue), 2-6, 6-4, 6-0
2. Daniela Vidal (Purdue) def. Shannon Hudson (Arkansas), 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
3. Nicole Robinson (Purdue) def. Kimberley - Ann Surin (Arkansas), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
4. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue) def. Sarah McLean (Arkansas), 2-6, 6-1, 6-3
5. Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Brittany Huxley (Arkansas), 4-6, 6-0, 6-2
6. Andjela Djokovic (Purdue) def. Oleksandra Shkorupeieva (Arkansas), 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3)