Northwestern University Athletics
First Big Ten Road Matches Await NU
3/31/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 31, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--Northwestern's seventh-ranked women's tennis team (12-3, 2-0 Big Ten) will get its first taste of conference road matches this weekend when it meets up with No. 52 Purdue at noon (CT) on April 3 in West Lafayette, Ind. and No. 24 Illinois at 11 a.m. on April 4 in Champaign, Ill.
"We are just excited to play tennis every week," said head coach Claire Pollard. "We are trying to establish ourselves as the team to beat. I hope we can continue our strong play into this weekend."
If last week was any indication of things to come, then NU stands in good shape. Four Wildcats were successful in both singles and doubles in beating Indiana 6-1. One includes sophomore Jamie Peisel (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Country Day), who earned her fifth-straight win in singles. Her doubles partner Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest), meanwhile, picked up her 20th win of the season, making her the third person on the team to hit the 20+ win mark.
The 'Cats will try to improve upon their 29-1 all-time record against the Boilermakers (7-7, 2-1), who are only 3-7 against ranked teams this season. Purdue's lineup is helmed by senior Gretchen Haynor at No. 1 and freshman Hala Sufi at No. 2, the latter of whom won Big Ten Player of the Week honors last week.
"If Purdue can stay healthy, they are a solid team," said Pollard. "Nevertheless, they always compete well, and we are looking forward to a challenge."
The Illini recently dispatched of then-No. 38 Iowa 6-1 to improve to 11-3, including 2-1 in the Big Ten. No. 34 Jennifer McGaffigan led the team to victory with her triumphs at No. 1 singles and doubles; she and Cynthya Goulet are ranked together as No. 9.
Both of Jennifer's sisters--Katie from Wisconsin and Laura from Indiana--have fallen to NU players this season.
"Illinois is a hard place to play on the road," said Pollard. "They are an emotionally charged team with great fan support."
The Fighting Illini will play host to Wisconsin prior to taking on the Wildcats.
