WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's tennis team rebound from its' loss the day before with a strong performance in a 6-1 win over No. 43 Michigan State outdoors Sunday at the Schwartz Tennis Center. With the win, the 35th-ranked Boilermakers got back on the winning track at 11-5, 4-3 B1G. The Spartans moved to 16-5, 5-3 B1G while dropping their third straight contest.
"After the match yesterday we talked and we talked about not focusing on the score, but focusing on other aspects; to put our focus on the court, our feet to the ball and effort," Purdue junior Krisztina Kapitany said. "That's the main thing, hustle for every ball and show the opponent we are going to compete. We are going to do anything and everything on the court to win.
"We also told ourselves we are going to improve with helping each other, to have more communication and support with each other on the court," Kapitany said. "Today we did that and we showed a lot of energy. We were loud and had a presence on the court today."
Purdue's doubles lineup was reworked at Nos. 1 and 2 against the Spartans. Lynda Xepoleas and Natalia Davila assumed the No. 1 role, while Daniela Vidal teamed with Andjela Djokovic for the first time. Vidal and Djokovic, the ninth tandem used this spring, gave an early edge in the fight for the point with an 8-5 showing against Catherine Parenteau and Athena Trouillot.
At No. 3, Kapitany and Nicole Robinson brought home the doubles point for the Old Gold & Black with an 8-5 match over Emily Meyers and Lexi Baylis. Since getting paired together in late-February, the sophomore/junior duo has won all seven of their matches and boasts a 4-0 B1G mark.
The doubles point was the 10th of the season won by the Boilermakers. They own an overall spring doubles record of 34-18 and are 10-7 in B1G doubles matches.
Vidal earned the second point for Purdue as play shifted to singles. The senior from Maracaibo, Venezuela, notched her 12th spring victory with a 6-3, 6-3, straight set victory over Erin Faulkner in the No. 1 position. Following at No. 6 was Andjela Djokovic, disposing of Meyers, 6-2, 6-1.
Kapitany was credited with clinching the match for the Boilermakers, beating Trouillot with matching set scores of 6-3. She has won 11 of her last 12 with time split at Nos. 5 and 6. At 12-3, Kapitany is only one victory shy of her career win high in spring competition.
"I've been focusing on my game and making sure I'm doing the right things within my match, like trying to shutout every outside factor," Kapitany said. "I'm really focusing on my game and getting into the competitive mode. I feel like I haven't been noticing the score lately because I've been focusing so much on the point being played. Every point has the same kind of importance as rest."
A 6-1, 6-4 performance from Robinson lifted the sophomore past Parenteau at No. 4 and at No. 5, Xepoleas closed out the match in a 10-point tiebreaker, 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (7), over Spartan Aslina Chua. With the win, Robinson moved her record to 8-4, while Xepoleas pushed to 11-5 in her final campaign.
The home stretch of conference play for the Old Gold & Black continues when they host first-year B1G members Rutgers and Maryland on April 11 and 12, respectively. Both matches are set for a 12 p.m. ET start.
No. 35 PURDUE 6, No. 43 MICHIGAN STATE 1
Doubles
1. Lynda Xepoleas/Natalia Davila (Purdue) vs. Erin Faulkner/Allie Baer (Michigan State), 7-4 DNF
2. Daniela Vidal/Andjela Djokovic (Purdue) def. Catherine Parenteau/Athena Trouillot (Michigan State), 8-5
3. Nicole Robinson/Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Emily Meyers/Lexi Baylis (Michigan State), 8-5
Order of finish: 2, 3
Singles
1. Daniela Vidal (Purdue) def. Erin Faulkner (Michigan State), 6-3, 6-3
2. Lexi Baylis (Michigan State) def. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue), 6-4, 6-1
3. Lynda Xepoleas (Purdue) def. Aslina Chua (Michigan State), 6-1, 4-6, 1-0 (7)
4. Nicole Robinson (Purdue) def. Catherine Parenteau (Michigan State), 6-1, 6-4
5. Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Athena Trouillot (Michigan State), 6-3, 6-3
6. Andjela Djokovic (Purdue) def. Emily Meyers (Michigan State), 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 1, 6, 2, 5, 4, 3