Tuesday, 03/19/2013

MIAMI - The No. 20 Purdue women’s tennis team finished its spring break trip with a victory over Florida International on Friday. This was the first matchup between the two schools in series history. The Boilermakers defeated the Golden Panthers, 6-1.

Purdue (9-1) picked up right where it left off Wednesday with another near perfection match. The Boilermakers started the morning by sweeping the doubles point. Lynda Xepoleas and Daniela Vidal got things going with a win at No. 2. The duo picked up an 8-2 win over Giulietta Boha and Lotte Gras. Imogen Golder and Gisella Pere clinched the point with a victory at No. 3. The seniors defeated Magali Holt and Michelle Sabado, 8-2. The No. 38 pair in the country of Krisztina Kapitany and Mara Schmidt picked up its second victory while being ranked. The duo defeated Aleksandra Trifunovic and Carlotta Orlando to complete the sweep, 8-5.

The Boilermakers continued to dominate in singles. Pere got herself back on track after dropping her first match of the year on Wednesday, by defeating Gras, 6-0, 6-3 at No. 6, to give Purdue the 2-0 lead. Kapitany jumped back into the singles lineup and didn’t miss a beat. The freshman was next to finish and won convincingly at No. 5, 6-1, 6-2, over Sabado.

Florida International (2-10) got on the board next with a victory at the top singles spot. Orlando took down Xepoleas, 6-4, 6-1. Vidal clinched the match for Purdue soon after, though. The sophomore took down Boha, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 3 to give the Boilermakers the 4-1 lead. Schmidt was next to finish. The junior, playing fairly consistent all year, improved to 8-2 in dual match play after her victory. Schmidt had to bounce back after dropping the first set 6-0 in the first set to Trifunovic. Schmidt then found her game and dominated the next two sets, 6-3, 6-0, at No. 2. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum kept her unbeaten streak alive as she notched a win against Holt at No. 4. The freshman won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2.

The Boilermakers return to B1G action next Friday with a 3 p.m. ET matchup against Ohio State at the Schwartz Tennis Center.