March 9, 2014
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 29th-ranked Purdue women's tennis team defeated No. 36 Illinois, 5-2, to get its first Big Ten Conference win on the season Sunday on Basham Courts at the Schwartz Tennis Center. The Boilermakers captured the doubles point and posted straight-set victories in three of their four singles victories to improve to 5-4, 1-1 Big Ten. The Fighting Illini, who have suffered back-to-back league losses, slip to 6-6, 0-2 Big Ten.
Purdue captured the doubles points thanks to wins at the Nos. 1 and 2 spots. Mara Schmidt and Krisztina Kapitany were first to finish, cruising to an 8-1 win over the Illinois tandem of Melissa Kopinski and Alexis Casati. They improve to 9-3 as the Boilermakers' No. 1 duo. Daniela Vidal and Natalia Davila followed in suit in the No. 2 spot, securing the doubles point with an 8-4 win over Misia Kedzierski and Louise Kwong. With they win Vidal and Davila pushed their record to 4-1.
At No. 5, Kapitany moved to 9-3 in her sophomore campaign by taking down Kedzierski, 7-5, 6-1, pushing Purdue's lead to 2-0. Schmidt gave the Boilermakers a 3-0 advantage with her 7-5, 6-3 decision of Kopinski at No. 2.
The Fighting Illini got on the board with a win at No. 3, but Vidal clinched the team win as she got back to her own winning ways. The junior notched a straight-set 6-3, 7-5 victory against Illinois' Allison Falkin to improve to 11-2 overall and picked up her first win at the top of the Boilermakers' lineup.
Illinois then picked up its second win of the match at No. 6. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum blanked Lousie Kwong in the first set of the No. 4 singles match and had the favor returned in the second set, falling by the score of 6-1 to Kwong. The New York City native prevailed in the third and decisive set, 6-4, to round out Purdue's scoring efforts.
Purdue returns to the road to take on intrastate rival Indiana on 3 p.m. on March 14. It will be nearly a month before he Boilermakers return to Basham Courts as they head off to sunny Arizona for a pair of Spring Break matches. They return home on April 5 by hosting Iowa.
No. 29 Purdue 5, No. 36 Illinois | Box Score
Doubles
1. Mara Schmidt/Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Melissa Kopinski/Alexis Casati (Illinois), 8-1
2. Daniela Vidal/Natalia Davila (Purdue) def. Misia Kedzierski/Louise Kwong (Illinois), 8-4
3. Nicole Robinson/Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue) def. Jerricka Boone/Allison Falkin (Illinois), 7-4 DNF
Singles
1. Daniela Vidal (Purdue) def. Allison Falkin (Illinois), 6-3, 7-5
2. Mara Schmidt (Purdue) def. Melissa Kopinski (Illinois), 7-5, 6-3
3. Alexis Casati (Illinois) def. Nicole Robinson (Purdue), 6-2, 6-4
4. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue) def. Louise Kwong (Illinois), 6-0, 1-6, 6-4
5. Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Misia Kedzierski (Illinois), 7-5, 6-1
6. Jerricka Boone (Illinois) def. Andjela Djokovic (Purdue), 2-6, 6-4, 6-4