WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's tennis team returned to form Saturday inside the Schwartz Tennis Center, knocking off its second ranked opponent of the spring season. The Boilermakers' 4-3 win over No. 36 Nebraska comes less than a week after the team was swept at No. 29 Michigan. Purdue previously defeated No. 38 Arkansas by the same score.
In doubles, the Boilermakers fell behind early with losses on courts one and three against the Cornhuskers. At the first position, Silvia Ambrosio and Caitlin Calkins were swept 6-0 by P. Del Cueto Castillo and Brianna Lashway. Alex Sabe and Seira Shimizu exited shortly after, falling 6-3 to Katerina Matysova and Vasanti Shinde at the third. On court two, Ena Babic and Zala Dovnik's match against Hayley Haakenstad and Claire Reifeis was left unfinished at five all.
Down 1-0, Purdue managed to even the score halfway through singles, claiming two of the first three contests to finish. Both Ambrosio and Dovnik defeated their opponents in straight sets - the first besting Lashway 6-4, 6-2 on court one and the second overpowering M'Balia Bangoura 6-2, 6-4 on court six. Meanwhile, Calkins fell 6-1, 6-4 to Matysova at the fifth position.
The conference dual remained tied at 3-3 as Shimizu defeated Del Cueto Castillo 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 on court four and Sabe lost to Shinde 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 on three. Babic's three-set win at the second position then secured the match for the Boilermakers; the freshman outlasted Reifeis 6-7 (2-7), 6-4, 6-1.
Up next, Purdue will remain at home Sunday, as it takes on unranked Iowa at noon ET.