Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Prepare for NCAA Regionals
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 12, 1999
NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S TENNIS
18-4; 9-1 Big Ten Regular Season
National Ranking: 22
NCAA Regional Championships
Arizona State University Tempe, Ariz.
May 15 - May 16, 1999
'Cats Take on Illinois in NCAA Regionals
The 22nd-ranked Northwestern Wildcats face 46th-ranked Illinois in the NCAA Regional Championships on Sat., May 15, at Arizona State University. The match is scheduled to begin at 8 a.m. PT / 10 a.m. CT. The winner will play either Arizona State or Northern Arizona on Sun., May 16 at 10 a.m. PT / noon CT, for a berth into the NCAA Sweet Sixteen being held at the University of Florida on May 20-23.
Northwestern enters the NCAA Regionals with an 18-4 dual record. Its last outing was a 4-1 victory over Wisconsin on May 2, for the 1999 Big Ten Tournament Championship. The 'Cats arrive at Arizona State having won 12 of their last 13 dual matches, including 11-straight.
Series Records Against the Regional Field
This will mark the third meeting between the Wildcats and Fighting Illini this season. On Feb. 28, Illinois defeated Northwestern, 4-3 in Champaign, handing the Wildcats their only loss of the Big Ten regular season (9-1). NU came back to avenge the loss on May 1 in the semifinals of the Big Ten Championships (4-1). Northwestern holds a 27-5 advantage over Illinois in the all-time series.
Arizona State, the No. 11 seed in this year's NCAA Championships, owns a 2-0 mark all-time versus Northwestern. The last time the two teams met was Jan. 25, 1998, in Tempe, Ariz., where the Sun Devils defeated the 'Cats 9-0.
Northwestern and Northern Arizona have never met.
Big Ten Champions!!!!
The 'Cats won their third Big Ten Championship on Apr. 30-May 2, with 4-1 wins over Purdue, Illinois and Wisconsin. NU's two other titles came in 1985 and 1986. This year also marked the third time in the 18-year history of Big Ten women's tennis that Northwestern won the regular season crown (9-1). In 1985 and 1986, the team finished the Big Ten regular season with perfect marks.
Head Coach Claire Pollard
Claire Pollard is in her first season as head coach of the Northwestern women's tennis program. Pollard has an overall record of 91-63 (.591). She came to NU from Lamar University where she served as head coach from 1994-1998. She also served one season as head coach at her alma mater, Mississippi State.
In addition, Pollard is in the second year of a four-year term representing the Midwest Region on the NCAA Tennis Committee. She will not only be coaching her team this weekend, she will have responsibilities running both the men's and women's regionals being held at Arizona State.
Doubles Pair Headed to Gainesville, Fla.
NU's No. 1 doubles pair, senior Laura Guignon and junior Katherine Nasser were selected to participate in the NCAA Doubles Championships at the University of Florida on May 24-28. The duo is ranked No. 14 in the nation and tallied a 16-6 dual record during the spring and a 9-1 mark against Big Ten foes.
In the Midst of a Memorable Season
With a win over Illinois on Saturday, NU would improve to 19-4 overall. It would mark the most number of wins since the 1987 team finished the season with a 22-4 record.
Three Wildcats Selected to All-Big Ten Team
Senior Laura Guignon, junior Katherine Nasser and sophomore Shannon Duffy all represented Northwestern on this year's All-Big Ten team.
It marked the first time that Guignon was named All-Big Ten in her career. As team co-captain, she helped lead NU to its first Big Ten Championship since 1986. She contributed from the No. 2 and No. 3 singles positions throughout the year and teamed with Nasser at the No. 1 doubles spot to tally a 9-1 conference record. In Big Ten singles competition, Guignon posted a 7-3 record.
Nasser made the All-Big Ten team for the third-straight year. She played at the No. 1 singles position all season and went 4-6 against Big Ten opponents.
Duffy is making her second consecutive appearance on the All-Big Ten team. This season, she went undefeated against conference foes in doubles (10-0) and nearly accomplished the same in singles (9-1). In the Big Ten championship match against Wisconsin, it was Duffy's 3-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory over Wisconsin's April Gabler at No. 3 singles that gave NU the title.
The last time Northwestern had three players earn All-Big Ten status was in 1987 (Katrina Adams, Diane Donnelly and Lynn Nabors).
'Cats in the National Rankings
NU has been ranked among the nation's elite throughout the 1998-99 season:
Preseason 42 Fall 32 First Spring Ranking 30 Second Spring Ranking 23 Third Spring Ranking 23 Fourth Spring Ranking 23 Fifth Spring Ranking 22NU Gets Boost From Doubles
A big part of Northwestern's success this season has come from the play of its doubles teams. The Wildcats won every doubles point during the Big Ten season, except for the title match vs. Wisconsin.
Near Perfection Sophomore Shannon Duffy has won all but two Big Ten singles matches since her arrival in Evanston in the fall of 1997. She is 53-20 in her brief collegiate singles career and this season went undefeated against Big Ten foes in doubles (10-0) and nearly accomplished the same in singles (9-1). Duffy dropped a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 6-7 (4) decision to Michigan's Danielle Lund at No. 2 singles in NU's final regular season Big Ten match, her only singles loss in conference play.
Lutgert's Season
Junior Jennifer Lutgert is enjoying her finest season as a Wildcat. She enters the NCAA Regionals having won 11-consecutive singles matches at the No. 6 position. She owns a career and team-best 28-5 singles record this season and is just four wins away from breaking the school record for singles wins in a season (31), which teammate Shannon Duffy established last year.
Cheng On Fire
Sophomore Colleen Cheng enters the NCAA Regionals having won 11-straight dual matches at the No. 4 position. She is 27-9 overall and went 9-1 in Big Ten play.
Immediate Impact
Freshman Lia Jackson joined the team in January and immediately earned a spot playing at No. 5 singles and No. 2 doubles. Jackson has contributed brilliantly with an 18-4 dual record, 8-2 mark in the Big Ten. She and Cheng combined for a 12-6 record in doubles.
Duffy/Weinraub, A Formidable Pair at No. 3
Junior Leigh Weinraub and sophomore Shannon Duffy went 8-0 at No. 3 doubles against Big Ten foes this season. They are 15-3 overall and have won eight of their last 10 outings together.
Fighting Illini Ties
NU assistant coach Susanne Land graduated from the University of Illinois in 1997. She earned her B.S. in kinesiology and was a four-year letterwinner for the Illini women's tennis team. Land served as captain and was voted MVP her senior year.
Northwestern at Illinois
Sun., Feb. 28, 1999
Atkins Tennis Center -- Champaign, Ill.
Illinois 4, Northwestern 3
Singles
1. Simone Kung (IL) def. Katherine Nasser (NU) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 2. Stacy Schapiro (IL) def. Laura Guignon (NU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 3. Shannon Duffy (NU) def. Carla Rosenberg (IL) 1-6, 6-0, 6-3 4. Brooke Ferney (IL ) def. Colleen Cheng (NU) 6-0, 4-6, 6-4 5. Lia Jackson (NU) def. Megan Wise (IL) 6-0, 6-3 6. Natalia Manasova (IL) def. Jennifer Lutgert (NU) 6-1, 6-3Doubles
1. Nasser/Guignon (NU) def. Rosenberg/Ferney (IL) 8-5 2. Jackson/Cheng (NU) def. Kung/Schapiro (IL) 9-7 3. Weinraub/Duffy (NU) def. Wise/Manasova (IL) 8-3
Northwestern vs. Illinois
Sat., May 1, 1999
Outdoor Tennis Courts -- East Lansing, Mich.
Big Ten Championship Semifinals
Northwestern 4, Illinois 1
Singles
1. Katherine Nasser (NU) vs. Simone Kung (IL) 4-6, 7-6 (6), 5-3 -- abandoned 2. Stacy Schapiro (IL) def. Laura Guignon (NU) 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 3. Shannon Duffy (NU) def. Brooke Ferney (IL) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (0) 4. Colleen Cheng (NU) def. Carla Rosenberg (IL) 6-2, 6-3 5. Lia Jackson (NU) def. Megan Wise (IL) 6-2, 6-2 6. Jennifer Lutgert (NU) vs. Natalia Manasova (IL) 1-6, 6-3, 5-4 -- abandonedDoubles
1. Nasser/Guignon (NU) def. Rosenberg/Ferney (IL) 8-4 2. Jackson/Cheng (NU) vs. Kung/Schapiro (IL) 6-6-abandoned 3. Weinraub/Duffy (NU) def. Manasova/Gottlieb (IL) 8-3
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
SINGLES
Name No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 No. 4 No. 5 No. 6 Overall Dual Big Ten Jen Lutgert --- --- --- --- --- 17-3 28-5 17-3 9-1 Robyn Porter --- --- --- --- --- --- 1-1 --- --- Leigh Weinraub --- --- --- --- --- --- 7-6 1-0 --- Colleen Cheng --- --- --- 17-5 --- --- 27-9 17-5 9-1 Laura Guignon --- 7-5 9-1 --- --- --- 24-10 16-6 7-3 Katherine Nasser 6-13 --- --- --- --- --- 11-19 6-13 4-6 Shannon Duffy --- 7-3 10-1 --- --- --- 22-9 17-4 9-1 Lia Jackson --- --- --- --- 18-4 --- 18-4 18-4 8-2DOUBLES
Team No. 1 No. 2 No. 3 Overall Dual Big Ten Guignon/Weinraub --- --- --- 2-2 --- --- Guignon/Nasser 16-6 --- --- 18-7 16-6 9-1 Lutgert/Cheng --- --- --- 4-0 --- --- Duffy/Nasser --- --- --- 0-1 --- --- Cheng/Weinraub --- --- --- 1-2 --- --- Duffy/Lutgert --- --- 2-0 2-2 2-0 2-0 Cheng/Nasser --- --- --- 1-2 --- --- Lutgert/Weinraub --- --- --- 1-1 --- --- Cheng/Jackson --- 12-6 --- 12-6 12-6 7-3 Duffy/Weinraub --- --- 15-3 15-3 15-3 8-0 Duffy/Cheng --- 1-1 --- 1-1 1-1 --- Jackson/Weinraub --- --- 1-1 1-1 1-1 ---
