Feb. 5, 2010
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.; - In its first Big Ten match of the spring season, the Penn State women's tennis team (2-2, 0-1 Big Ten) fell to Purdue (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) this afternoon, 5-2. Penn State tied the score at 2-2 after falling behind early, but the Boilermakers pulled ahead to come away with the win.
Opening the match with doubles play, the Boilermakers grabbed an early advantage as Imogen Golder and Bhavani Tirumurti topped the sophomore tandem of Michaela Stracar (Jericho, N.Y.) and Maria Prishlyak (Kiev, Ukraine) in third doubles, 8-2. Following on the No. 1 court, Michelle Sammons and Jennifer Rabot clinched the doubles point for Purdue with an 8-4 over Penn State seniors Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) and Sarah Lotto (Toronto, Ontario).
With Purdue leading 1-0, the rookie pair of freshmen Amy Simidian (Carlstadt, N.J.) and Petra Januskova (Ottawa, Canada) snatched an 8-4 win over Anna Dushkina and Remi Martin.
Following in singles play, Rabot put Purdue ahead 2-0 with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Lotto on the No. 2 court. Januskova brought Penn State within one as she cruised by Sammons in the first set of No. 1 singles, 6-2. In the second set, Sammons took an early 3-0 lead, but Januskova answered to bring herself within one at 3-4. Januskova rallied ahead to 6-4 to take the straight-set victory.
With Purdue leading 2-1, Prishlyak dropped her first set of third singles to Tirumurti, 6-3, but brought herself back with a 6-2 win in the second set. In the third set, Tirumurti took a 6-3 win to put Purdue ahead 3-2.
Simidian had no problem with Golder in fifth singles, handling her 6-1. The two battled back and forth in the second set, but Simidian edged Golder, 7-6 to tie the match score at 2-2.
Freshman Sarah Henderson (Auckland, New Zealand) took an early lead in sixth singles, holding Gisella Pere off for a 6-4 win. Henderson trailed at 2-3 and 3-4 in the second set, but Pere pulled away to clinch the set. Pere carried her momentum into the third set, taking a 6-0 win and clinching the match victory for Purdue.
In the final match of the day, McCarthy stormed ahead of Dushkina on the No. 4 court, taking a 6-3 win in the first set. She took a 3-0 lead in the second set, but Dushkina rallied to take the lead at 6-4 win to force a third set. Dushkina took the come-from-behind victory with a 6-4 win in the third set to put the final match score at 5-2.
The Nittany Lions are on the road again next weekend when they travel to Wichita, Kan. to take on the Wichita State Shockers on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1 p.m. The next day, they play at Oklahoma at 11 a.m. Penn State's next home match is Friday, Feb. 19 at 5 p.m. when it hosts Marshall at the Indoor Tennis Center. Admission to all Penn State home matches is free.
Purdue 5, Penn State 2
Doubles
1. Michelle Sammons/Jennifer Rabot (Purdue) def. Sarah Lotto/Lauren McCarthy (PSU), 8-4
2. Amy Simidian/Petra Januskova (PSU) def. Anna Dushkina/Remi Martin (Purdue), 8-4
3. Imogen Golder/Bhavani Tirumurti (Purdue) def. Michaela Stracar/Maria Prishlyak (PSU), 8-2
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. Petra Januskova (PSU) def. Michelle Sammons (Purdue), 6-2, 6-4
2. Jennifer Rabot (Purdue) def. Sarah Lotto (PSU), 6-2, 6-1
3. Bhavani Tirumurti (Purdue) def. Maria Prishlyak (PSU), 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
4. Anna Dushkina (Purdue) def. Lauren McCarthy (PSU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-4
5. Amy Simidian (PSU) def. Imogen Golder (Purdue), 6-1, 7-6
6. Gisella Pere (Purdue) def. Sarah Henderson (PSU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 5, 3, 6, 4