Wednesday, 02/13/2013

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The No. 26 Purdue women's tennis team is back in action after a week off. The Boilermakers will hit the road to take on the Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday at 11 a.m. ET.

Purdue (1-1) opened the season against some of the nation's best. The Boilermakers knocked off then-No. 32 Washington State, 4-3, in Evanston, Ill. The following day, the Boilermakers dropped a tight non-conference match against No. 14 Northwestern, 4-3. Gisella Pere is the lone Purdue singles player with an unblemished record thus far. The senior picked up a pair of wins at No. 6.

Lynda Xepoleas and Mara Schmidt are in the national singles rankings. Xepoleas remains at No. 80 nationally while Schmidt is No. 108. Purdue's doubles teams have been excellent so far in the season. Krisztina Kapitany and Schmidt at No. 1 are 2-0 with an 8-2 and 8-3 win. Xepoleas and Daniela Vidal are also perfect in doubles with a pair of wins at No. 2. Imogen Golder and Pere have not dropped a doubles match, though they are yet to play one to completion due to the new, temporary rule that halts any doubles match on the court after the point has been decided.

Marshall (2-3) has dropped three straight matches after starting the season 2-0. The Herd is led by junior Karli Timko and freshman Dana Oppinger. Both players have won three singles matches on the season with Oppinger's victories all coming at No. 5. Marshall also will pose a threat in doubles action. The No. 1 duo of Dominika Zaprazna and Maria Voscekova has won two straight including a victory over Indiana's nationally ranked pair last week.

The Boilermakers faced Marshall a year ago with Purdue winning the match, 7-0.

Live results will be available on PurdueSports.com. A full recap will be posted to the site following the completion of the match. Fans can follow the team throughout the season on FaceBook as well as Twitter (@PurdueWTennis).