Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Have Sights on Sixth-Straight Big Ten Championship
4/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 27, 2004
Northwestern game notes for Big Ten Championship
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EVANSTON, Ill.--The one thing missing from Northwestern's 11th-ranked women's tennis team's last five Big Ten titles was winning them at home. Now that NU is the host of this year's Championship, the top-seeded Wildcats (20-4, 9-1 Big Ten) will have that chance this week at Vandy Christie Tennis Center.
"We have to get it done wherever we are," said head coach Claire Pollard. "Fortunately, we have played quite well at home this year (12-0), so I am sure that will help us."
Northwestern's first opponent will be the winner of No. 8 seed Michigan State and No. 9 seed Purdue, both of which the 'Cats beat this season. The second-round match will begin at 10 a.m., and the victor will face either fourth-seeded Michigan or fifth-seeded Wisconsin.
Last week the Wildcats beat Michigan and Michigan State to close the season tied with Indiana, which got the second seed because of its loss to NU back in March. The No. 1 seed is the fifth for the 'Cats in the past six years.
In the contest against the Spartans (8-13, 3-7), third-ranked Cristelle Grier (Surrey, England/Epsom) won both her singles and doubles matches for her second-straight 10-0 record in the former and a 9-1 record in the latter. The sophomore is currently riding a 15-match winning streak for a 33-3 record.
Grier and 47th-ranked Jessica Rush (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday) helm the lineup, respectively, as well as form the third-ranked doubles team that is 33-5 overall. Rush, meanwhile, is 29-9 (8-2 Big Ten), including a pair of wins over ranked opponents.
One other Wildcat that was unblemished in the conference is Jamie Peisel (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Country Day), who has not lost (14-match winning streak) since moving to the four spot back in February.
Both Michigan State and Purdue (9-13, 3-7) fell a bit at the end of the season, as the former dropped its last three matches while the latter lost three of its final four. Their match is slated for 10 a.m. on Thursday.
"We are more concerned about what we need to do," said Pollard. "At least we have already defeated both teams this season, which should give us at least a psychological advantage."
For live results and other information regarding the Big Ten Women's Tennis Championship, please check out the other links on NUsports.com.
