“Today we just ... came out firing, played our hearts out, and to beat a team this good, 6-1, is huge,” Meyers said. “This is probably the biggest team win of my career here.”

The team started off the match by winning the doubles point. At each match, three doubles teams compete in six-game doubles sets. Whichever school wins two or more of these doubles sets wins the doubles point, which is worth the equivalent of one singles match.

Midway through the doubles portion of the meet, all three doubles matches were hotly contested.

In the singles portion of the match, Erin Faulkner captured a quick 6-2, 6-3 victory over Purdue’s Nicole Robinson. Davina Nguyen, whose match with Andjela Djokovic was close through much of the first set, broke free late in the set and never looked back. She captured a 6-3, 6-1 victory.

“I felt like my game was on a roll and I just kept staying positive,” Nguyen said. “I kept doing the same thing, nothing changed. As she got more beaten down, I just kept rolling.”

After Emily Metcalf defeated Purdue’s Deborah Suarez by a 6-4, 6-2 score, MSU clinched a meet victory, as the doubles point and three match wins were enough to guarantee at least a 4-3 victory.

Athena Trouillot and Meyers were the final two players remaining after MSU had already clinched the match. Their matches lasted nearly an hour longer than the other four.

Both matches followed a similar script. Trouillot and Meyers had a sluggish start to their matches, with Trouillot losing her first set 0-6 and Meyers going down 2-4 in hers. Then, both MSU players went on extended runs. Trouillot went up 5-2 in her second set, eventually winning it 6-4. Meyers stormed back for a 7-5 first set victory, then went up 5-1 in her own second set.

The two ended up in hotly contested lengthy battles after the meet had already been decided. Trouillot ended up winning a 7-5 victory in her third set against opponent Marta Ruedas-Burgos. As for Meyers, her opponent Claudia Escribens clawed her way back into the set, eventually forcing a set tiebreaker.

But Meyers did not let Escribens’ comeback discourage her. She claimed victory in a second set tiebreaker to secure her match win. Meyers said her initial comeback in the first set gave her a momentum boost she rode throughout the rest of the game.

“When you’re down, it’s easier to play a little looser,” Meyers said. “You start swinging more, you go for your shots, because you’re already down. From there, it’s easier to get the momentum going.”

Trouillot and Meyers’ victories gave the Spartans a 6-1 victory. Nguyen said the margin of victory over an ITA-ranked team would provide a boost to the Spartans as they head into the grind of conference play.

“I think it’s a huge boost for our confidence, which we need,” Nguyen said. “We needed this win really badly to get a start to our Big Ten season.”

Jardim said while a win is a win, this particular performance could help her team as they prepare for a slate of tough opponents.

“These wins are important to them personally,” Jardim said. “It’s a confidence booster, it shows them that they can beat anybody, at any time, at any point.”

Jardim singled out Trouillot, the Spartans’ top singles performer with 17 wins during the season, for her ability to get a victory even on an off night.

“AT (Trouillot) wasn’t playing really well, and it got a little tight at the end,” Jardim said. “But to me, you get a win when you’re not at your best, you’re better for it.”

The women’s tennis team will head back onto the court Friday, facing off against Minnesota. After that they will travel to Madison, Wisc. to compete against Wisconsin on Sunday.