Northwestern
UIC
'Cats Stamp Out Flames, 4-0
5/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 15, 2004
Northwestern vs. Illinois-Chicago results
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EVANSTON, Ill.--Opponents, beware!
Northwestern's ninth-ranked women's tennis team made Illinois-Chicago its latest victim in its now 11-match winning streak when the Wildcats doused the Flames 4-0 at Vandy Christie Tennis to advance to the second round of the NCAA Championships.
The triumph for the 'Cats (24-4) moved them one-step closer toward the main portion of the NCAA Tournament, which will be held in Athens, Ga. May 20-23. Notre Dame (12-11), which beat Iowa 4-1 earlier in the day, awaits 10th-seeded Northwestern in the Midwest Regional final at noon tomorrow.
"UIC played us hard--the match was tighter than the score reflects," said head coach Claire Pollard. "But we are happy to move on and play Notre Dame again."
Third-ranked Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) and Jessica Rush (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday School) got NU off to a fast start by breezing past Beatriz Cabrera and Ayca Gumuscu 8-2 at No. 1. That win was the duo's whopping 37th of the year.
Not quite ten minutes later, Andrea Yung (San Marino, Calif./San Marino) and Ruth Barnes (Cambridge, England/Hills Road Sixth Form College) pummeled Molly Smith and Melanie Humphrey 8-1 at No. 3 to clinch the point. Following a 1-1 tie, Yung and Barnes were relentless in taking the next seven games for the win.
The Flames (16-7), who won the Horizon League Conference Championship to earn a bid to the tournament, did not fare as well in singles, either. No. 44 Rush set the tone by leading off with a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Gumuscu at the two spot to give NU the 2-0 lead.
Connie Chiang (Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West) finished next, topping Humphrey 6-1, 6-2 at No. 6. Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) then kept the team undefeated at home (16-0) with her 6-4, 6-4 decision over Iris Jaklin at No. 3.
"I knew before the match the (high) level Northwestern was at," said UIC head coach Shannon Tully. "Just to play someone at this level is exciting. I was pleased with my team for hanging in there."
Tomorrow's final will be a rematch between the Wildcats and Fighting Irish, as Northwestern edged Notre Dame 4-3 back in mid-April.
Players Mentioned
