Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Tennis Heads to Big Ten Championships
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 29, 1999
NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S TENNIS
15-4 overall, 9-1 Big Ten Regular Season
National Ranking: 23
No. 1 Seed at Big Ten Championships
Hosted by Michigan State University
April 29 - May 2, 1999
'Cats No. 1 Seed at Big Ten Championships
By virtue of winning the Big Ten Conference regular season title, Northwestern, the 23rd-ranked team in the country, will be the No. 1 seed at this weekend's Big Ten Championships held at Michigan State University in East Lansing. On Friday, April 30, the Wildcats play either eighth-seeded Purdue or ninth-seeded Michigan at 9 a.m. EDT. The Wildcats enter the championships having won nine of their last 10 dual matches, including eight-straight.
NU History at the Big Ten Championships
The 'Cats will be seeking their third Big Ten Championship, having won back-to-back titles in 1985 and 1986. This is the third time in the 18-year history of Big Ten women's tennis that Northwestern has won the regular season crown. In 1985 and 1986, the team finished the regular season Big Ten seasons with perfect marks. Last year, NU was ousted from the Big Ten Championships by Indiana, 4-1.
'Cats Win Big Ten Regular Season
The only blemish on Northwestern's Big Ten record this season was a 4-3 loss to Illinois, suffered on Feb. 28. Other teams that came close to knocking off NU were Wisconsin (4-3) and Indiana (4-3).
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 88-63 (.583). 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.
Total Team Effort
Five members of Northwestern's singles lineup posted winning Big Ten records this spring: Laura Guignon (7-3), Shannon Duffy (9-1), Colleen Cheng (9-1), Lia Jackson (8-2) and Jennifer Lutgert (9-1). The team also got a big boost from its play at doubles, winning nine out of 10 possible doubles points in conference play. Wisconsin was the only team to win the doubles point from NU this season (2-1).
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 51-20 in her brief collegiate 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 last Sunday, her only singles loss of the Big Ten season.
'Cats in the National Rankings
NU has been ranked among the nations 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 Released May 4
Lutgert's Season
Junior Jennifer Lutgert is enjoying her finest season as a Wildcat. She enters the Big Ten Championships having won 10-consecutive singles matches at the No. 6 position. She owns a career and team-best 27-5 singles record this season and is just five wins away from breaking the school record for singles wins in a season (31), which teammate Shannon Duffy established last year.
Cheng Catching Fire
Sophomore Colleen Cheng enters the Big Ten Championships having won eight-straight dual matches at the No. 4 position. She is 24-9 overall and 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 a 15-4 dual record, 8-2 mark in the Big Ten. She and Cheng combined for a 12-5 record in doubles.
No. 17-Ranked Doubles Team
Senior Laura Guignon and junior Katherine Nasser are the No. 17-ranked doubles team in the country. They come into the Big Ten Championships riding an eight-match winning streak and have won 12 of their last 13 matches. Their record stands at 17-5 on the season.
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 13-2 overall and have not lost together since March 23 at Stanford (8-4).
1998 Big Ten Player of the Year Returning to Form?
Junior Katherine Nasser, last year's Big Ten Player of the Year, is still Northwestern's No. 1 singles player. After struggling at the start of the Big Ten season (0-4), she has come back to capture three of her last four duals and two-straight to close out the regular season. Her first Big Ten singles win came over Penn State's Rebecca Ho on April 10.
