WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - For the first time this spring, the Purdue women's tennis team (8-2, 3-0 B1G) will get to take their game outdoors while spending spring break in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 28th-ranked Boilermakers are set to take on UNLV (5-8, 1-0 Mountain West) on its home courts Thursday, followed by a neutral matchup with No. 58 Columbia (6-4) on Friday. Both matches from the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex are scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET start.
"Going outside is going to be a challenge for us," head women's tennis coach Laura Glitz said. "We've been talking about our energy a lot lately. The thing that I like about our team this year is everybody wants to win. Whether they win or not, that's decided on the court, but they want to win. They are really tight-knit as a group and they want to win for each other."
Purdue is riding a six-dual match winning streak dating back to Feb. 20. In their last outing on March 13, the Boilermakers made easy work of in-state rival Indiana, 6-1, on the Basham Courts of the Schwartz Tennis Center. They captured the doubles point for the eighth time this season and took the first five singles matches for their sixth decision over a ranked opponent.
In doubles, the Old Gold & Black are led by the 43rd-ranked duo of Daniela Vidal and Tess Bernard-Feigenbaum. The senior/junior pair owns an 11-2 record and has won six consecutive matches in the top spot. They are also the first Boilermakers to reach double-figure wins in singles. At No. 1, Vidal sports a 10-3 record and has emerged victorious in the last five matches. Bernard-Feigenbaum has won her last three at No. 2 and is 10-2 overall on the season.
Both of Purdue's opponents in the desert are in action Tuesday in Las Vegas. The Rebels, losers in their last two contests, host Iowa and the Lions, who have won their last two, battle Drake in a neutral setting. It has been 24 years since the Boilermakers have seen UNLV, dropping a 5-3 match on March 5, 1991. Columbia and Purdue are squaring off for the first time.