WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's tennis team remains in West Lafayette, Indiana, this weekend, competing in the final two matches of its current four-match homestand. The Boilermakers will first face Arkansas inside the Schwartz Tennis Center on Friday at 3 p.m. ET and then open Big Ten play Sunday against Maryland at noon.
Friday's meeting with the Razorbacks marks the fourth year in a row that the two programs have competed against one another. The teams first met for one lone match in 1981 before picking back up in 2014. The series is currently tied at two all, with the last two matches being decided by one point. Purdue will look to take the lead again while breaking the team's current three match slide.
To do so, the Boilermakers will likely have to claim the doubles point, as Arkansas' singles lineup includes two ranked players. Shannon Hudson enters the match at No. 47 and Ana Oparenovic is tied for No. 103. Securing the doubles point should also give the team some needed confidence when facing the Razorbacks individually; Purdue is 5-1 this season when taking the early 1-0 lead.
Independent of Friday's outcome is the start of Big Ten competition for the Boilermakers. Purdue hosts Maryland for the third time and second as a conference opponent. The teams first met in West Lafayette in 2009 when the Terrapins were still a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Maryland took control of the 2-1 series last year with a 6-1 victory during the Boilermakers' first trip to College Park, Maryland.
This weekend, Illinois, Michigan, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State also begin conference play.
As with all home matches this season, coverage will include both live scoring and live streaming on PurdueSports.com.