April 11, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the second time in as many matches, the 37th-ranked Purdue women's tennis team dealt a Big Ten foe a 6-1 loss as the Boilermakers cruised past Penn State at the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center Friday. Purdue pushed its record to 10-7, 6-2 Big Ten while winning its fifth consecutive conference match. The loss dropped the Nittany Lions to 5-15, 1-7 Big Ten.
For the 10th time this season, the Boilermakers jumped out to an early lead by claiming the doubles point. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum and Mara Schmidt notched their second win together with an 8-3 decision over Penn State's Dasha Sapogova and Katia Blik as the No. 1 team.
Claudia Escribens and Nicole Robinson made easy work of Marie Bedard and Taylor Shukow, 8-2, to put Purdue ahead 1-0 heading into singles play. Escribens and Robinson moved to 6-4 playing at the No. 3 spot.
The Boilermakers won the first three singles matches in straight sets to quickly earn the dual victory. Escribens' shutout of Lisa Petruzillo in the No. 6 position was the sophomore's second straight as she improved to 4-0. Purdue's Andjela Djokovic pushed her freshman season record to 12-4 by dealing Katherine Whiteaway a 6-2, 6-4 loss at the No. 5 spot. Robinson followed in suit, playing at No. 3, easily defeating Carmen Sandor, 6-4, 6-1, for the ninth win of her rookie campaign.
Penn State's only point in the contest followed via walkover at No. 4. Rounding out Purdue's efforts was a tiebreaker and a straight set victory. Bernard-Feigenbaum rallied at No. 2 over Blik, 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-1). The New York, N.Y., native has won her last five matches and owns a 13-5 mark in her sophomore season. Schmidt used a 6-3, 7-5 decision to get past Sapogova for her seventh win to conclude the match.
The Boilermakers will trek to Columbus, Ohio, for a Sunday contest at No. 49 Ohio State. First serves from the Varsity Tennis Center are scheduled for 12 p.m. ET.
No. 37 Purdue 6, Penn State 1 | Box Score
Doubles
1: Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum/Mara Schmidt (Purdue) def. Dasha Sapogova/Katia Blik (Penn State), 8-3
2: Natalia Davila/Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) vs. Carmen Sandor/Katherine Whiteaway (Penn State), 7-4 DNF
3: Claudia Escribens/Nicole Robinson (Purdue) def. Marie Bedard/Taylor Shukow (Penn State), 8-2
Singles
1: Mara Schmidt (Purdue) def. Dasha Sapogova (Penn State), 6-3, 7-5
2: Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue) def. Katia Blik (Penn State), 6-2, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-1)
3: Nicole Robinson (Purdue) def. Carmen Sandor (Penn State), 6-4, 6-1
4: Taylor Shukow (Penn State) def. Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue), walkover
5: Andjela Djokovic (Purdue) def. Katherine Whiteaway (Penn State), 6-2, 6-4
6: Claudia Escribens (Purdue) def. Lisa Petruzillo (Penn State), 6-0, 6-0