COLUMBUS, Ga. -- No. 2-ranked and two-time defending NCAA Division II national champion Armstrong Atlantic extended its regular-season Peach Belt Conference winning streak to 120 matches with a 9-0 win against No. 6 Columbus State on Saturday.
Armstrong (17-1, 10-0 PBC) prevailed in the matchup between the last two unbeaten teams in league play as Columbus State fell to 14-3 overall and 9-1 in the Peach Belt.
The Pirates took a commanding 3-0 lead after doubles play as the No. 2-ranked duo of Barbora Krtickova and Aleksandra Filipovski downed No. 10-ranked Paola Cigui and Beatriz Leon, 8-3, at No. 1 doubles. The No. 8-ranked duo of Olga Kalodzitsa and Marlen Hacke beat Camila Tobar and Elena Preadca 8-6 at No. 2 doubles, then Clara Perez and Carolina Prats-Millan defeated Laura Chapman and Olivera Jokic 8-2 at No. 3 doubles.
Armstrong then won all six singles matches in straight sets to clinch the match. No. 3-ranked Filipovski handed No. 2-ranked Cigui her first loss in a Peach Belt match in three seasons with a 6-3, 7-5 win -- the reigning PBC Player of the Year had won 32 consecutive in league play. No. 11-ranked Krtickova handed a similiar first-time loss to No. 14-ranked Beatriz Leon 6-3, 6-1 -- Leon had been unbeaten in 16 matches previously. No. 15-ranked Hacke downed Jokic 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3 singles, while No. 19-ranked Prats-Millan knocked off Tobar 6-1, 6-3 at No. 4 singles. No. 42-ranked Perez bested Chapman 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 singles and Kalodzitsa finished off the singles sweep with a 6-1, 6-3 win against Olivera Tadijin at No. 6 singles.
