WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. ââ'¬" After overpowering Penn State on Friday, the No. 50 Purdue women's tennis team nearly swept its third-straight weekend Sunday against No. 35 Ohio State. The Boilermakers, who had not lost since March 25 at Michigan, forced the match to 3-2, but could not outlast the strength of the Buckeyes' stout roster, falling 5-2 inside the Schwartz Tennis Center.
In doubles, Purdue fell behind early, losing on the lower courts. Ena Babic and Zala Dovnik were defeated 6-4 by Mary Beth Hurley and Olivia Sneed at the second position, while Alex Sabe and Seira Shimizu were swept 6-0 by Maria Tyrina and Danielle Wolf at the third.
Despite the deficit, Silvia Ambrosio and Caitlin Calkins notched a convincing 6-2 win against No. 30 Shiori Fukuda and Anna Sanford on court one.
In singles, Ambrosio and Shimizu were the only Boilermakers to earn victories over Ohio State's lineup. The first secured her second upset of the day, outlasting No. 54 Sanford 1-6, 7-5, 7-5 on court one, while the later overpowered Tyrina 6-2, 6-0 on four.
Meanwhile, Dovnik fell in straight sets; and Babic, Calkins and Sabe all lost in three.
Entering the final week of the regular season, Purdue will now need to close 2-0 on the road and make a run at Big Tens to earn an NCAA tournament bid. Doing so would mark the team's first appearance since 2015.