WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's tennis team fell again Sunday afternoon inside the Schwartz Tennis Center. The 5-2 loss to Maryland was the Boilermakers' fifth straight, and evens their season total to five all. Sunday's meeting also marked both squads' Big Ten opener.
To start, Purdue's Rafaella Baquerizo and Natalia Davila made easy work of the visitors on court three in doubles. The tandem defeated Arnelle Sullivan and Katsiaryna Yemelyanenka 6-0 in the first match off. Baquerizo wasn't featured in last Friday's lineup for the first time this season, but certainly made a statement in her return to competition. The true freshman played aggressive, fast, and enthusiastically throughout the entire match, and after every winner, celebrated with a passionate exclamation and fist bump exchange with Davila.
On court two, the Boilermakers didn't experience the same fortune, though. Down 5-2, Caitlin Calkins and Marta Ruedas picked up the next game, moving the score to 5-3; however, the duo was unable to earn another point. Ekaterina Tour and Caroline Williams swept Purdue in the next, winning 6-3.
The pressure then shifted to court one for the second match in a row; Andjela Djokovic and Nicole Robinson were in a similar position last Friday against Arkansas after the first two doubles matches split. The senior Boilermakers ended up losing 7-6 (7-3), but hoped to avoid another lengthy heartbreak Sunday, facing Kristina Hovsepyan and Alexandra Stanova.
All was looking good to start; at 4-2 the two teams traded games, advancing the score to 5-3. Purdue then picked up three straight points to put the Terrapins in a match-point situation; however, Maryland responded with four straight of their own on serve. Robinson first sent a backhand into the net followed by a wide forehand from Djokovic; Robinson then sailed another backhand long, before Maryland took the offense. The Terrapins delivered a well-placed volley just out of reach of Djokovic to secure the game.
Now at 5-4, Purdue had another chance to pick up the doubles point back on serve, but in a game plagued with doubles faults, Maryland evened the score at five all.
Purdue then broke Maryland in the next game, advancing the score to 6-5, but Maryland was able to do the same, forcing at seventh-game tiebreak.
With Purdue serving first, the two teams each won a point - a pattern that continued throughout the breaker as neither duo lead by more than one. Up 6-5 and serving, Maryland had the opportunity to secure the match, but Purdue held on, eventually taking the advantage at 8-7. Maryland then sent a volley right at Robinson to even the score at 8-8; the Terrapins also picked up the next with a service winner. Now facing her team's third match point, Robinson delivered a controlled serve to Maryland, but hit a wild return that sailed into the next court, giving the match and doubles point to the Terrapins.
Unfortunately, Robinson's troubles continued into singles. After leading 5-2 in the first set, the Boilermaker dropped the next 11 of 12 games to lose 7-5, 6-1 to Stanova on court one.
In that time, Ruedas also fell to Tour 6-1, 6-0 on court three, while Djokovic defeated Sullivan 6-2, 6-4 on court two.
With the team score at 3-1, Davila picked up another point for the Boilermakers, winning her match against Yemelyane 6-2, 6-2 on court six.
Baquerizo and Calkins continued to battle in their individual matches - Calkins coming back from a large first set deficit on court five. The true freshman forced a seventh-game tie break and had the advantage, securing six points first, but Hovsepyan overcame the late push, winning 7-6 (9-7).
Meanwhile, Baquerizo dropped her second set 6-4 on court four after winning the first 6-3. The swing placed the focus back on Calkin's second.
The set remained competitive throughout, but Hovsepyan was up a break and carried it to the end, winning 6-4 while clinching the team match for Maryland. Baquerizo also failed to win her third-set tiebreaker, moving the final score to 5-2.
The Boilermakers now enter a three-match road stretch, starting with Notre Dame on Feb. 22 at 5 p.m. ET.