Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Face Busy Slate This Week
4/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 13, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--Northwestern's 11th-ranked women's tennis team (15-4, 5-1 Big Ten) faces a test of endurance this week, as they will play three matches in four days. The 'Cats will meet 24th-ranked Notre Dame for a 3 p.m. matinee April 15 in South Bend, Ind., followed by two home matches--Penn State at 11 a.m. April 17 and No. 63 Ohio State at 11 a.m. April 18--at Vandy Christie Tennis Center.
Last weekend the Wildcats put up impressive victories over Minnesota and then-No. 32 Iowa to move into a second-place tie with Indiana in the conference standings; both teams trail first-place Illinois (15-4, 6-1) by a half-game.
NU had several solid individual efforts in its 7-0 shutout of the Golden Gophers. Andrea Yung (San Marino, Calif./San Marino) and Ruth Barnes (Cambridge, England/Hills Road Sixth Form College), for instance, both won their singles match 6-0, 6-0. The following day, Northwestern defeated the Hawkeyes 6-1 as third-ranked Cristelle Grier (Surrey, England/Epsom) shined, winning her singles match 6-1, 6-0 over No. 94 Meg Racette.
All three Wildcats played for the 2003 team that beat the Fighting Irish 7-0 and improved to 16-8 all-time against them.
Notre Dame (10-7, 3-0 Big East) is coming off of back-to-back losses to then-No. 43 William & Mary and then-No. 14 Texas. The Irish feature 11th-ranked Alicia Salas, who topped two Wildcats at the ITA Midwest Championships last fall. She has played at the No. 1 spot every match this season.
The Irish's top doubles team of Catrina and Christian Thompson is ranked No. 57 in the nation and holds a record of 9-8 in dual play.
"Notre Dame will be a tough match, as I think they will have last year's loss on their mind," said head coach Claire Pollard. "Still, we would rather be playing than not playing."
The Nittany Lions (6-12, 0-6) are currently riding a six-match losing streak, including recent 4-3 losses to Illinois and Purdue. Katelyn BeVard leads Penn State with an 8-6 record, including a 2-2 record in conference action. Leigh Ann Merryman and Megan Marton form the team's lead doubles duo, with a 7-5 dual record this year.
Like PSU, Ohio State (8-10, 3-3) also has had some recent struggles, having lost three of its last four and six of its last eight matches. Last weekend, the Buckeyes split their two matches, beating Purdue 5-2 and losing to Illinois 4-2. No. 98 Lindsay Williams, who helms the singles lineup, sports an 8-10 record. The doubles team of Erica Fisk and Jackie Lescovar, meanwhile, are 8-8 at the top spot.
"Both teams have lost some very close matches," said Pollard. "The league is so close, you can lose to anyone, so we will definitely not overlook them."
Ohio State will face Wisconsin on Saturday prior to playing Northwestern.
