LAS VEGAS - The Purdue women's tennis team extended its winning streak to eight straight by edging No. 58 Columbia, 4-3, Friday at the Fertitta Tennis Complex. The 28th-ranked Boilermakers pushed their record to 10-2, 3-0 B1G with their seventh win over a ranked opponent while sending the Lions to 8-4.
Purdue's current streak is its best since stringing together 10 straight in 2013. The Boilermakers also won eight consecutive matches during the 2012 season. During both of those streaks, they also beat five nationally ranked opponents just as the current team has.
The doubles point proved to be the difference maker in the match and Purdue claimed it thanks to wins from the duo of Lynda Xepoleas and Natalia Davila, followed by Nicole Robinson and Krisztina Kapitany. The senior/sophomore duo at No. 2 cruised past Columbia's Kanika Vaidya and Rima Asatrian, 8-2. Robinson and Kapitany were taken to the breaker with Alexandra Solovyev and Vivian Cheng and emerged victorious, 8-7 (4).
Four of the six singles matches were decided in the third set as the two teams split at three each. The Boilermakers were powered behind their top-two singles players and Kapitany at No. 6. Tina Jiang jumped out and took the first set from Daniela Vidal, 6-2, only to have the senior storm back and take the next two sets, 6-4, 6-1.
Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum and Vaidya exchanged the first and second sets, 6-4 and 6-1, respectively, to set up the third. The junior used a 6-4 set to clinch the 12th win of her junior campaign. Kapitany rallied after dropping the first set to Cheng to take a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 match for her eighth-straight win and improve to 9-2.
B1G opponents occupy the rest of the Boilermakers' schedule upon their return. They will travel to Ohio State and Penn State for a weekend slate March 27 and 29.
No. 28 PURDUE 4, No. 58 COLUMBIA 3
Doubles
1. No. 43 Daniela Vidal/Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue) vs. Tina Jiang/Crystal Leung (Columbia), 6-7 DNF
2. Lynda Xepoleas/Natalia Davila (Purdue) def. Kanika Vaidya/Rima Asatrian (Columbia), 8-2
3. Nicole Robinson/Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Alexandra Solovyev/Vivian Cheng (Columbia), 8-7 (4)
Singles
1. Daniela Vidal (Purdue) def. Tina Jiang (Columbia), 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
2. Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum (Purdue) def. Kanika Vaidya (Columbia), 6-4, 1-6, 6-4
3. Rima Asatrian (Columbia) def. Lynda Xepoleas (Purdue), 7-5, 2-6, 6-4
4. Alexandra Solovyev (Columbia) def. Nicole Robinson (Purdue), 6-2, 6-3
5. Crystal Leung (Columbia) def. Deborah Suarez (Purdue), 6-3, 7-6 (3)
6. Krisztina Kapitany (Purdue) def. Vivian Cheng (Columbia), 4-6, 6-4, 6-1