The Michigan women's tennis team has been all about streaks this year.

Starting Jan. 27, the Wolverines beat three straight opponents. After a five dual-match losing streak, No. 23 Michigan is riding a nine dual-match winning streak after beating Purdue and Illinois 6-1, 7-0 in two road matches Saturday and Sunday.

"It was a great weekend for us," Michigan coach Amanda Augustus said. "It's the best as a team we have played on the road in a long time."

Saturday's competition marked a first for Michigan's No. 1 doubles team of Jenny Kuehn and Chisako Sugiyama. The top pair lost its first match together this the year to Purdue's Brooke Beier and Mallory Voelker 8-4.

Kuehn and Sugiyama's loss may explain their dominance yesterday.

The two destroyed the Fighting Illini's Megan Fudge and Emily Wang 8-1.

"I think it's really been our doubles play that has improved so much," Augustus said. "We carry it over to singles."

In singles against the Boilermakers (4-2 Big Ten, 11-5 overall), Michigan went 5-1 and lost only three sets. And against Illinois (5-12, 1-5), the Wolverines went 6-0 and lost just one set.

But Michigan (6-1, 12-5) would get more from its No. 1 singles player.

Sugiyama defeated Purdue's Mallory Voelker, 7-5, 7-6(5) to remain undefeated in conference play (6-0) and improve her dual match record to (13-3).

For the 85th-ranked Parsippany, N.J., native, her victory over Voelker was her 25th singles win this season.

However, the star of yesterday's singles competition was Kuehn, the reining Big Ten Athlete of the Week.

The Leipzig, Germany, native, defeated fellow German Fudge 6-3, 6-0, which clinched the team win.

"Both days at No. 1, they really kind of set the tone," Augustus said. "They just both played dominating. Both of them won all their matches, and both of them definitely did a good job for us."

In hindsight, this streak has done more for the Wolverines than merely increase their win total.

"I think we are more aware of our strengths," Kuehn said. "We can rely on those, and that helps to win close matches."

Said Augustus: "We've really been building our confidence for quite a few weeks now. I think it's a testament to the girls working very hard in practice and getting better every day."

The confident Wolverines have been so good that they have won 43 more matches than their opponents during their current winning streak.

And with just Michigan State, Ohio State and Indiana left to play, the Big Ten Championships - a place Michigan has finished in the top four the past three seasons - are looking promising.

"That's their big goal for the season, to win the Big Ten championship," Augustus said.