COLUMBUS, Ohio. - The Purdue women's tennis team ended its spring season with a pair of losses on the road this weekend. The Boilermakers first fell 5-2 at Penn State on Friday, and were then shutout 4-0 at No. 5 Ohio State on Sunday. It's the first time since 2012 that the team ended the regular season 0-2; however, that year's squad went on the win the Big Ten Tournament with four-straight victories in the postseason. This year, the team failed to qualify for the conference event, as only the top 10 programs are seeded.
Friday, Purdue surrendered the doubles point with loses on courts one and three. No. 55 Rafaella Baquerizo and Andjela Djokovic fell 6-2 to Bennett Dunn and Devan McCluskey on the first, and Natalia Davila and Alex Sabe were bested 7-5 by Katia Blik and Samantha Smith on the third.
Down 1-0 heading into singles, Davila and Sabe rebounded from their doubles performance to earn the Boilermakers a pair of points. The senior defeated Dunn 6-2, 6-3 in the fourth position, while the freshman continued to make her mark on the program with a 7-5, 6-4 victory on the second.
Baquerizo and Djokovic both lost their singles matches against the Nittany Lions -- the first due to her retire -- along with Caitlin Calkins and Deborah Suarez.
Against Ohio State on Sunday, the same four Boilermakers stumbled in doubles, as the Buckeyes won 6-2 on court one and 6-1 on court three. The top-5 program then continued to assert its dominance in singles with three straight-set victories over Purdue.
No. 1 Francesca Di Lorenzo shutout Djokovic on the first, followed by a 6-1, 6-3 win by No. 91 Gabriella De Santis over Baquerizo on the third. No. 119 Ferny Angeles Paz proceeded to clinch the match for the Buckeyes with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Calkins on the sixth.
The Boilermakers graduate four this May, but all three true freshmen are expected to return. Should they continue to grow on their individual successes from this season, Purdue is positioned to make a significant rebound with the addition of a top-10 recruiting class. Ena Babic, Zala Dovnik and Serira Shimizu all signed with the Boilermakers last fall and enroll in August.
Penn State 5, Purdue 2
Singles
1. Katia Blik (PSU) def. Andjela Djokovic (PUR) 6-3, 6-2
2. Alex Sabe (PUR) def. Devan McCluskey (PSU) 7-5, 6-4
3. Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU) def. Rafaella Baquerizo (PUR) 2-6, 6-4, 2-1, retired
4. Natalia Davila (PUR) def. Bennett Dunn (PSU) 6-2, 6-3
5. Samantha Smith (PSU) def. Deborah Suarez (PUR) 6-2, 6-4
6. Shannon Hanley (PSU) def. Caitlin Calkins (PUR) 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
1. Bennett Dunn/Devan McCluskey (PSU) def. Rafaella Baquerizo/Andjela Djokovic (PUR) 6-2
2. Shannon Hanley/Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU) vs Caitlin Calkins/Marta Ruedas (PUR) unfinished
3. Katia Blik/Samantha Smith (PSU) def. Natalia Davila/Alex Sabe (PUR) 7-5
No. 5 Ohio State 4, Purdue 0
Singles
1. No. 1 Francesca Di Lorenzo (OSU) def. Andjela Djokovic (PUR_W) 6-0, 6-0
2. No. 59 Anna Sanford (OSU) vs. Alex Sabe (PUR_W) 6-2, 3-5, unfinished
3. No. 91 Gabriella De Santis (OSU) def. Rafaella Baquerizo (PUR_W) 6-1, 6-3
4. No. 97 Miho Kowase (OSU) vs. Natalia Davila (PUR_W) 6-4, 2-3, unfinished
5. No. 92 Sandy Niehaus (OSU) vs. Deborah Suarez (PUR_W) 6-2, 5-3, unfinished
6. No. 119 Ferny Angeles Paz (OSU) def. Caitlin Calkins (PUR_W) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
1. No. 19 Francesca Di Lorenzo/Miho Kowase (OSU) def. No. 55 Rafaella Baquerizo/Andjela Djokovic (PUR_W) 6-2
2. Sandy Niehaus/Anna Sanford (OSU) vs. Marta Ruedas/Deborah Suarez (PUR_W) 5-2, unfinished
3. Ferny Angeles Paz/Gabriella De Santis (OSU) def. Natalia Davila/Alex Sabe (PUR_W) 6-1