Indiana women’s tennis will travel to West Lafayette to play rival Purdue this Saturday to start a Big Ten road trip.
After splitting last weekend’s matchups against Michigan State and No. 3 Michigan, Indiana heads into the rivalry game with a record of 13-8 overall. On the other side, Purdue is 14-6 overall this season and plays at home.
The Hoosiers are 5-4 on the road this season but only 4-5 against Big Ten opponents, the most recent loss being a 6-1 defeat at home to the Wolverines. The Boilermakers, on the other hand, are 12-3 at home, 5-4 in the conference and are coming off a 4-2 win against the Spartans.
The overall history of the matchup is close to even, with Indiana winning eight games and Purdue winning nine, but the overall record doesn’t tell the whole story. From 2005 to 2014, Indiana won six of the nine games against Purdue, but since 2014, Purdue has won six of the last eight games.
The last matchup between the two teams ended in a 4-2 win for the Hoosiers in Bloomington, but, in West Lafayette, the Hoosiers have lost four of the last five games.
In singles, Purdue’s No. 1 redshirt senior Liz Norman is 7-5 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten this season but is currently on a two-game losing streak. For Indiana, sophomore Lara Schneider is 12-4 overall and 5-1 in the conference, with the only loss coming last Saturday against No. 3 Michigan’s junior Jaedan Brown.
The No. 2 matchup should be very even. Boilermaker sophomore Carmen Guevara is 9-6 overall and 3-2 in the conference but is on a two-game losing streak. On the other hand, Hoosier graduate student Saby Nihalani is 10-6 this season, including 3-3 in the conference.
A tough game should be expected by the Hoosiers at No. 3. Hoosier redshirt junior Alexandra Staiculescu is 5-13 overall and 3-4 in the Big Ten but is currently on a two-game winning streak — the only player on a positive streak for the Hoosiers currently. For the Boilermakers, senior Csilla Fodor is 12-2 overall, unbeaten against Big Ten opponents, 4-0, and on a three-game winning streak.
The No. 6 matchup should be a hard one as well. Purdue sophomore Juana Larranaga is 10-5 overall, including 3-3 in the conference, and is coming off a win against Michigan State. For Indiana, redshirt junior Xiaowei "Rose" Hu is 6-6 overall and 2-2 in the conference but comes from a loss against No. 3 Michigan.
In doubles play, Hoosiers’ No. 1 double Schneider and Nihalani are 10-5 overall but only 2-3 in the conference despite coming off a win against No. 3 Michigan last weekend. On the Boilermakers’ side, the probable No. 1 double is Norman and sophomore Tara Katarina Milic. Norman is 6-9 overall and 4-4 in the conference when playing in the No. 1 spot, and Milic is 4-4 in the No. 1 spot and 3-3 in the conference overall.
For the No. 2 spot, Purdue will likely play Fodor and Guevara together. Fodor is 4-3 in the No. 2 double and 4-4 in the Big Ten overall, and Guevara is 6-6 in the No. 2 spot and 3-3 in the Big Ten overall. For Indiana, No. 2 double redshirt junior Mila Mejic and freshman Nicole Teodosescu are 0-3 when together this season, including 0-1 in the Big Ten.
At No. 3, Hoosiers’ Hu and Staiculescu are 6-5 overall when together but only 0-1 in the Big Ten and currently on a two-game losing streak. For the Boilermakers, Larranaga and freshman Kennedy Gibbs are 11-5 when together at the No. 3 spot, including 4-4 in the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers will travel the next two weekends to face Purdue and No. 21 Wisconsin. Indiana plays Purdue in West Lafayette at 12 p.m. on April 15.
