See-saw match against Purdue results in loss

The IU women’s tennis team lost four matches at the bottom of the singles lineup, leading to a 4-3 loss at the hands of No. 49 Purdue on March 12.

The Hoosiers clinched the doubles point when sophomore Leslie Hureau and senior Myriam Sopel came from behind to defeat Purdue’s No. 1 doubles team of Jennifer Rabot and Mara Schmidt, the then-No. 18 duo in the country.

The Hoosiers failed to carry that momentum to singles play, however, as the Boilermakers won matches at positions three-through-six, clinching the victory when Gisella Pere finished off Sopel 6-3, 7-6 (7-1) at the No. 6 spot.

For IU, Hureau and junior Evgeniya Vertesheva picked up straight-set wins at No. 1 and No. 2 singles.

After the Purdue match, the team traveled to Las Vegas to participate in exhibition matches in the Las Vegas Invitational. IU coach Lin Loring said before the trip that the team would try to use those matches to get accustomed to playing outdoors before Big Ten matches move outside.

The Hoosiers will play road matches against conference opponents Michigan and Michigan State this weekend.