April 12, 2015
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For the first time in 12 matches where the Purdue women's tennis team captures the doubles point, the opponent came back to take the dual match in singles as the 34th-ranked Boilermakers were upset by Maryland, 4-3, outdoors Sunday at the Schwartz Tennis Center. The loss is the first of the season to an unranked opponent as Purdue slides to 12-6, 5-4 B1G. The Terrapins, who had lost their last seven dual matches, move to 10-12, 3-8 B1G in their first-ever meeting with the Old Gold & Black.
Purdue's No. 3 doubles team of Krisztina Kapitany and Nicole Robinson pushed their winning streak to nine straight, rolling past Olivia Gaudreault and Olga Gaistruck, 8-0. Since getting paired together on Feb. 20, the junior/sophomore tandem has had two shutouts and held two opponents to just one game. They are 9-0 overall and 6-0 in B1G matches. The win was also Kapitany's 65th career doubles victory.
The doubles point was secured for the Boilermakers thanks to Natalia Davila and Lynda Xepoleas' upset of 73rd-ranked Welma Luss and Ekaterina Tour. It was the first win for the pair since taking on the No. 1 doubles role last weekend. With their first win together over a nationally ranked duo, the sophomore and senior improved their record to 8-4.
Purdue took a 2-0 lead with the consistent singles play of Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum. The junior delivered once again in the No. 2 spot as she made easy work of Nataliya Bredikhina with matching set scores of 6-2. At 16-4 this spring, she leads the team in singles victories.
Maryland amped up its competitiveness as play shifted to singles. As one of four Terrapins to take the first set, Gaudreault got her team on the board with 6-2, 6-3 decision over Andjela Djokovic at No. 6.
The Old Gold & Black went ahead 3-1 thanks to Kapitany's 7-5, 6-0 performance at No. 5 against Gaistruck. Like her junior counterpart Bernard-Feigenbaum, Kapitany's play has been reliable as she has won 13 of her last 14 and owns a 14-3 spring record.
In addition to Gaudreault, Maryland's Luss, O. Bredikhina and Tour took the first set, proving to be the key to the come-from-behind upset.
At No. 3, Luss defeated Xepoleas 6-3, only to have the Boilermaker storm back in the second set, 6-1. The Terrapins' 6-4 third set brought them within one in the team score at 3-2.
O. Bredikhina and Purdue's Robinson exchanged lopsided scores in the first and second sets, 6-1, 6-0, respectively, to force a decisive third set. With the dual match going down to the wire at No. 1, the Old Gold & Black needed a win at No. 4 to clinch the match. Bredikhina denied Robinson in the third, 6-3, tying the team score at 3-3.
Moments later, Tour dealt Daniela Vidal a 6-1 setback in the second set to secure Maryland's upset. Tour won the opening set 7-6 (3).
The Purdue women's tennis team will split matches on the road and at home in the final week of the regular season. On April 17, the Boilermakers will take on Minnesota in Minneapolis starting at 3:15 p.m. ET. They will be the second dual match of a Purdue tennis doubleheader at the Schwartz Tennis Center on April 19, taking on Wisconsin at 1 p.m. in their home finale. Prior to the women's match, the Purdue men's tennis team will host Michigan at 10 a.m.
MARYLAND 4, No. 34 PURDUE 3
Doubles
1. Natalia Davila/Lynda Xepoleas (Purdue) def. No. 73 Welma Luss/Ekaterina Tour (Maryland), 8-5
2. Daniela Vidal/Andjela Djokovic (Purdue) vs. Kristina Hovsepyan/Nataliya Bredikhina (Maryland), 6-5 DNF
3. Nicole Robinson/Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Olivia Gaudreault/Olga Gaistruck (Maryland), 8-0
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles
1. Ekaterina Tour (Maryland) def. Daniela Vidal (Purdue), 7-6 (3), 6-1
2. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue) def. Nataliya Bredikhina (Maryland), 6-2, 6-2
3. Welma Luss (Maryland) def. Lynda Xepoleas (Purdue), 6-3, 1-6, 6-4
4. Olga Bredikhina (Maryland) def. Nicole Robinson (Purdue), 6-1, 0-6, 6-3
5. Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Olga Gaistruck (Maryland), 7-5, 6-0
6. Olivia Gaudreault (Maryland) def. Andjela Djokovic (Purdue), 6-2, 6-3
Order of finish: 2, 6, 5, 3, 4, 1