March 12, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 57th-ranked Purdue women's tennis team bounced back from their first defeat of the season to take down 30th-ranked Ohio State 4-3 Friday afternoon on the Basham Courts inside the Schwartz Tennis Center.
"I'm really proud of the team," head coach Laura Glitz said. "They have been working hard. To see them come through in a big match like this is awesome."
Purdue (10-1, 2-1) jumped out to an early advantage by taking the doubles point. Ohio State (12-4, 1-1) won the first match completed at No. 2, where Paloma Escobedo and Christina Keesey earned an 8-2 win over sophomore Anna Dushkina and freshman Gisella Pere. The Boilermakers tied the point when senior Michelle Sammons and sophomore Jennifer Rabot defeated Kelsey Haviland and Cami Hubbs 8-3 at No. 1. Junior Bhavani Tirumurti and freshman Imogen Golder clinched the point at No. 3 by defeating Gabby Steele and Fidan Manashirova 8-5.
Purdue extended its lead as the match moved to singles. Pere improved to 5-3 in her first collegiate season with a 6-4, 6-3 defeat of Manashirova at No. 6 before Tirumurti stopped a three-match losing streak by taking down Haviland 6-4, 6-3 at No. 3 and improving to 8-3 this season. The Buckeyes got on the board at No. 5, where Steele won 6-1, 6-1 over Golder.
Ohio State was able to battle back and tie the match by taking the next two contests. Flower, the 49th-ranked singles player in the NCAA, recovered for a 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Sammons at No. 1. Keesey also pulled out a victory after dropping the first set as she picked up a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win over Dushkina at No. 4. Rabot clinched the match for the Boilermakers while improving to 11-0 this season by defeating Escobedo 1-6, 7-5, 6-4 at No. 2.
"After losing the first set, I just had to focus on getting a couple of points here and there," Rabot said. "I knew if I could get into a third set that anything could happen. I saw the team was really going to need me, so I focused really hard to try and get the win. In the final game, I was really nervous. I was actually shaking a bit. I had to really focus on my serve after double faulting a couple of times. I knew if I could get my serve in I would be fine. This win means a bundle for the team. Ohio State isn't going to give you anything, and we really had to earn the win today."
With the win, Purdue improved to 2-1 this season against nationally-ranked opponents and defeated the highest-ranked team since a victory over 29th-ranked Virginia on March 3, 2007. The Boilermakers stopped a three-match winning streak by Ohio State in the series while bringing their all-time record against the Buckeyes to 21-22.
Purdue returns to action Wednesday when it plays at the University of New Orleans. Action is set to begin at 3 p.m. ET from the University Tennis Center in The Big Easy.