Last year, the Purdue women had finished in a ninth place tie in the Big Ten with an overall 4-17 record. It was the first year for Head Coach Laura Glitz and she had some building to do. This season it looks like the hard work has paid off as the team is soaring up the ITA National Rankings, climbing 22 spots this week.
Coach Glitz came to the Boilmakers from Cornell, where she brought her team into the national rankings, finishing with a 10-6 record. She had also served time as the Princeton assistant under longtime coach Louise Gengler. “I chose Purdue because of the academic and athletic excellence,” says Glitz, “I knew it was a place where I could build a top Big Ten and national program.”
The No.35 ranking this week was achieved after Purdue upset Ohio State and improved to 10-1. Their only loss has been to Northwestern -- the top ranked team in the country. In
addition to the higher ranking this week, Jennifer Rabot was named Big Ten Women's Player of the Week. Jennifer Rabot is currently riding on an 11-0 dual match record, but Coach Glitz believes it wouldn't be possible without a team effort, "I think the main reason that our season has come together this year is the fact that everyone is on the same page and working toward the same goals -- from the coaching staff to every single member of the team. In addition, we have great team chemistry plus the team has worked extremely hard on and off the court. I think all three of these factors have helped us through some tough matches this year."
Purdue still has a lot of work to do this season. The Big Ten presents some tough competition, but Coach Glitz is taking it one day at a time, "The biggest thing that I have stressed all year if for us to get better every single day and every single match as a program. For outcome goals we want to finish in the top half of the Big Ten and make the NCAA tournament."
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