April 4, 2010
The 42nd-ranked Purdue women's tennis team was defeated 6-1 Sunday afternoon by 37th-ranked Illinois at the Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex in Urbana, Ill.
Purdue (13-3, 2-3 Big Ten) was swept in doubles for just the second time this season as Illinois (9-7, 3-1) took all three matches. Chelcie Abajian and Rachael White dropped senior Michelle Sammons and sophomore Jennifer Rabot to 14-2 this season with an 8-2 victory at No. 1. Megan Fudge and Leigh Finnegan, the 50th-ranked doubles duo in the NCAA, clinched the point with an 8-4 win over sophomore Anna Dushkina and freshman Gisella Pere at No. 2 before Marisa Lambropoulos and Breannne Smutko took an 8-5 decision from junior Bhavani Tirumurti and freshman Imogen Golder at No. 3.
As the match moved to singles, Purdue was able to earn one milestone victory. Rabot, the 110th-ranked singles player in the NCAA, took down Lambropoulos 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 to improve to 15-1 in dual-match singles contests this season. The victory was the 50th of Rabot's career and her 23rd in 2009-10 including tournament play after she posted 27 wins, the ninth-highest single-season total in program history, as a freshman.
The Fighting Illini won the other five singles contests. Finnegan was the first to finish as she bettered Dushkina 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4. After Rabot's victory tightened the team score at 2-1, Smutko finished a 6-0, 6-2 win over Pere at No. 6. Abajian clinched the win for Illinois at No. 5, where she earned a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Golder. White was able to prevail over Tirumurti 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 (7) at No. 3 in the only match to require three sets. Fudge, who is ranked 106th in singles, provided the final margin with her 6-2, 6-4 win over Sammons at No. 1.
Purdue leads the all-time series, which dates back to 1975, 27-23. The Boilermakers return to action Saturday at noon ET when they host Wisconsin.