Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats to Challenge Michigan Schools
4/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 21, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--A big weekend could be in store for Northwestern's 10th-ranked women's tennis team (18-4, 7-1 Big Ten). With wins on the road against No. 29 Michigan (10 a.m. April 24) and Michigan State (9 a.m. April 25), the Wildcats could not only gain the top seed for the Big Ten Championship, but would also earn head coach Claire Pollard her 200th career win.
NU is currently tied with Indiana for second place behind Illinois (8-1 Big Ten). For the 'Cats to finish first in the conference standings, the Hoosiers-against whom the 'Cats hold the tiebreaker-would have to beat the Fighting Illini on Saturday in addition to Northwestern sweeping this weekend.
"I'm more concerned about how the team does than my record," said Pollard, whose career mark sits at 199-93. "We just want to win the regular season, and that will be our focus for the weekend."
The 'Cats gave their six seniors a nice sendoff this past weekend, defeating Penn State 7-0 on April 18 and Ohio State 6-1 on the 19th in the last two dual matches at home this year. Senior Jessica Rush (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday School) made the most of her final stand, going 4-0 for the weekend. Rush defeated the Nittany Lions' Megan Marton 6-1, 6-0 and the Buckeyes' Jackie Leskovar 6-1, 6-3 at No. 2 singles, and teamed with Cristelle Grier (Surrey, England/Epsom) to win both No.1 doubles matches for the weekend.
Grier, Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and Jamie Piesel (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Country Day) also went undefeated for the weekend to aid in the Wildcats' cause.
Michigan went 1-1 this past weekend, falling to then-No. 17 Illinois 5-2 on Saturday and defeating then-No. 58 Purdue 4-3 on Sunday. Junior Michelle DaCosta was perfect for the weekend, including a couple of wins over ranked opponents, such as Illinois' 34th-ranked Jennifer McGaffigan.
As an aside, Northwestern's return to Ann Arbor will bring back good memories for Rush and Grier, as it is the place where they earned the ITA National Indoor Doubles Championship last fall.
The Spartans also matched up against Purdue and Illinois last weekend and had similar results, upsetting Purdue 4-3 on Saturday before succumbing 7-0 to Illinois on Sunday. Caroline Lay showed some senior leadership against the Boilermakers, as she defeated Gretchen Haynor 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 singles. Lay also joined Keri Thompson to win at No.1 doubles, which proved to be a key match in the Spartans' upset victory.
"It's another weekend that we have to take care of business," said Pollard. "I am expecting both teams to play hard. We want to end the season on a great note."
Michigan State will play host to Wisconsin prior to its match against NU.
