April 17, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The 48th-ranked Purdue women's tennis team came out on the short end of a 6-1 decision to fourth-ranked Michigan on Saturday afternoon on the Schwartz Family Outdoor Courts.
"We didn't start the match with the intensity I would have preferred," head coach Laura Glitz said. "But, I thought we battled in singles. Michigan is a tough team, and they showed why they are ranked fourth in the country. Michigan State is going to be tough tomorrow, and we need to get ready to compete."
Purdue (14-4, 3-4 Big Ten) was swept in doubles for just the third time this season as Michigan (18-3, 8-0) claimed all three matches. Whitney Taney and Rika Tatsuno, the 24th-ranked doubles team in the NCAA, remained unbeaten in Big Ten play with an 8-2 decision at No. 1 that handed senior Michelle Sammons and sophomore Jennifer Rabot just their third dual-match loss. Mimi Nguyen and Michelle Sulahian clinched the point at No. 2 with an 8-0 win over sophomore Anna Dushkina and freshman Gisella Pere. Denise Muresan and Tania Mahtani finished off the point and remained undefeated against conference opponents with an 8-4 victory over junior Bhavani Tirumurti and freshman Imogen Golder.
The movement to singles brought competitive matches at all six positions, but Michigan was able to clinch the match by claiming the first three completed. Sulahian was the first to earn a win by taking a 6-2, 6-3 decision from Pere at No. 6. She was followed by Tatsuno, who earned a 6-3, 6-3 win over Dushkina at No. 4. Taney clinched the match and dropped Rabot, the 111th-ranked singles player in the NCAA, to 16-2 this season with a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2.
The Wolverines earned another victory at No. 3 when Nguyen picked up a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Tirumurti. Mahtani earned their final win of the day by finishing off a come-from-behind 6-7 (3), 6-1, 1-0 (6) decision over Golder at No. 5.
Sammons capped the match with a defeat of the 20th-ranked singles player in the NCAA. Sammons, playing in her next-to-last home match, dropped the first set to Muresan but bounced back for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory. The win was Sammons' first over a ranked opponent this season and second in her career, following a defeat of Tatsuno, who was ranked 106th during last year's meeting. Sammons has won two singles matches in a row and is now 10-8 this season.
"It's so tough to finish her off because she is so consistent," Sammons said. "You have to work to beat her. Throughout the whole match, our team was feeding off of each other's energy. Beating a ranked opponent means a lot. Earlier this season, I would get too fired up to play a ranked opponent. Today, I didn't allow myself to think about her ranking, and it helped. This also lets the whole team gain confidence going forward."
Saturday's loss was just the second at home for Purdue this season, with the other coming to then-top-ranked Northwestern on March 6. The Boilermakers are 10-2 at home in 2010 and have established a new program record for most single-season home victories.
Purdue wraps up its home schedule Sunday when it hosts Michigan State at noon ET. Sammons is set to be recognized in a pre-match ceremony for her contributions to the program. Admission is free, and live results can be found at purduesports.com.