March 16, 1999
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 47th-ranked Purdue women's tennis team fell 6-3 at the hands of 21st-ranked Fresno State in Fresno, Calif., today. The loss, Purdue's fifth in a row, drops the Boilermakers to 4-6 (0-2 Big Ten). The Bulldogs improved to 7-3 with the victory.
Two Boilers had success in singles, as freshman Missy Wright and sophomore Lisa Walgenbach both picked up individual wins. Wright, playing a spot higher in the lineup at No. 4, rallied big to defeat Kandiss Creighton 0-6, 7-5, 6-4 for her ninth victory this spring. Walgenbach snapped a four-match losing streak with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Ewa Grusieka at No. 5.
Wright and junior Jennifer Embry, the 46th-ranked doubles team in the nation, pulled off an upset at No. 1 doubles with an 8-3 win against the 25th-ranked pair of Dora Djilianova and Liesl Fichtbauer. That brought the Boilers to within one at 4-3, but the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams could not provide the two more wins necessary for a Purdue victory.
Purdue, which faced No. 12 Pepperdine yesterday, will face its toughest challenge this season when it travels to fourth-ranked California for a St. Patrick's Day match. The Boilers have not defeated a ranked team yet this spring.
Fresno State 6, Purdue 3
SINGLES
1. Dora Djilianova (FSU) def. Jennifer Embry (PU) 6-1, 6-1
2. Shana Peete (FSU) def. Erika Quebe (PU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Liesl Fichtbauer (FSU) def. Shannon Taheny (PU) 4-6, 6-1, 7-6
4. Missy Wright (PU) def. Kandiss Creighton (FSU) 0-6, 7-5, 6-4
5. Lisa Walgenbach (PU) def. Ewa Grusieka (FSU) 6-4, 6-4
6. Chantel Wiggins (FSU) def. Lynsey Fick (PU) 6-3, 7-6
DOUBLES
1. Embry/Wright (PU) def. Djilianova/Fichtbauer (FSU) 8-3
2. Kim Niggemeyer/Renee Kops-Jones (FSU) def. Taheny/Quebe (PU) 8-7*
3. Terje Pallo/Wiggins (FSU) def. Laura Avgerinos/Walgenbach (PU) 8-6
* match called due to darkness