Saturday, 05/12/2012

BERKELEY, Calif. – The #41-ranked Pepperdine women’s tennis team shut out #22 Purdue in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA Championship. The Waves battled through a closely fought doubles point before cruising through singles to win 4-0.

The Waves have now advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 20 of their 28 appearances.

In doubles, the Boilermakers (18-7) struck first, posting an 8-4 decision on court three.

Lorraine Guillermo (Walnut, Calif./Rowland HS) and Khunpak Issara (Bangkok, Thailand/Bangkok Patana School) answered with an 8-4 win over Jennifer Rabot and Mara Schmidt. It was the pair’s 14th consecutive victory.

It all came down to the match on court two, where Ali Walters (Newport Beach, Calif./Creekside Christian HS/UCLA) and Arianna Colffer (Corona, Calif./Buena Vista) were neck and neck with Daniela Vidal and Lynda Xepoleas.

After 16 games, a winner was still not determined so the opposing pairs squared off in a tiebreaker. The Wave tandem edged Purdue 7-5 to clinch the doubles point and take a 1-0 lead into singles.

“Winning the doubles point was very important,” said head coach Gualberto Escudero after the match. “In singles, a few of the girls fell behind early on and we began feeling the pressure. We responded well to that pressure were able to close out the match. Overall, I’m very happy with how we played today.”

Issara extended Pepperdine’s (16-8) lead with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph against Rabot.

Guillermo edged Mara Schmidt 6-4 in the opening frame before blanking the Boilermaker in set two, 6-0.

In the No. 2 spot in the lineup, Ale Granillo (Pachuca, Mexico/Instituto Hidalgo) tallied the dual-clinching fourth point, downing Xepoleas, 6-4, 6-2.

The remaining matches were not played out to completion.

Pepperdine will face either #9 California or #57 Sacramento State at 3 p.m. on Saturday, May 12. Links to live scores and video can be found at the Golden Bear’s Tournament Central.

#41 Pepperdine 4, #22 Purdue 0

Singles

1. #62 Khunpak Issara (PEP) def. #83 Jennifer Rabot (PUR) 6-1, 6-3
2. #105 Ale Granillo (PEP) def. Lynda Xepoleas (PUR) 6-4, 6-2
3. Lorraine Guillermo (PEP) def. Mara Schmidt (PUR) 6-4, 6-0
4. Daniela Vidal (PUR) vs. Arianna Colffer (PEP) 6-6, unfinished
5. Imogen Golder (PUR) vs. Ali Walters (PEP) 6-4, 2-1, unfinished
6. Gisella Pere (PUR) vs. Megan Moore (PEP) 6-3, 2-2, unfinished

Doubles

1. #32 Lorraine Guillermo/Khunpak Issara (PEP) def. Jennifer Rabot/Mara Schmidt (PUR) 8-4
2. Arianna Colffer/Ali Walters (PEP) def. Daniela Vidal/Lynda Xepoleas (PUR) 9-8 (7-5)
3. Imogen Golder/Gisella Pere (PUR) def. Ale Granillo/Megan Moore (PEP) 8-4

Match Notes:

Pepperdine 16-8; National ranking #41
Purdue 18-7; National ranking #22
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,3,2)

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