Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan (Big Ten Championship)
Northwestern Captures Seventh-Straight Big Ten Tournament Title
5/1/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 1, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Make room in Combe Tennis Center for yet another women's tennis championship banner. Northwestern won its seventh-straight Big Ten Championship tournament Sunday by beating Michigan, 4-1. At the rate head coach Claire Pollard's Wildcats are putting banners on the wall, Combe should be thoroughly insulated from the harsh Chicago winters for years to come.
Just how does it feel to win a seventh conference tournament title in as many years? Well, you'd have to ask the coach who continues to build upon her trophy-laden legacy in Evanston (1999-present), but who is quick to deflect the attention to her players.
"It's relief, excitement and joy all at once," Pollard said. "Each year it gets a little harder and harder to defend our title. I just think it's a tremendous achievement the way our team has performed all year."
After sophomore Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) clinched the title with a straight-set win at No. 4 singles and celebration began, Pollard probably felt a little bit wet too... from the Gatorade shower, courtesy of freshman-phenom Audra Cohen (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas).
"That's something we've got Claire on every year I've been here," junior Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) said. "I didn't think Claire would be expecting it from a freshman, so we told Audge to sneak up and get her. It's a lot of fun."
That was about the only surprise attack Sunday, as the top-seeded Wildcats continued to roll along in conference tournament action by winning their 21st-straight match.
NU began the championship match by edging the Wolverines in a closely played doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and 3 positions. Cohen and Grier suffered their second-consecutive loss, but Prousis and senior Kristi Roemer (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) and Feriel Esseghir (Sarasota, Fla./Brickhouse Academy) and Valerie Vladea (Tiffin, Iowa/Burlington Central) picked up the slack to give the `Cats a 1-0 lead.
At No. 2, Prousis and Roemer clawed out of a 2-0 hole by winning the next four games to go ahead, 4-2. The duos were tied at 4-4 and 5-5, before the `Cats pulled ahead for the 8-5 win.
Esseghir and Vladea had an equally tough battle at No. 3. The duo dropped game one, but Vladea held serve in game two thanks to a pair untouchable drop shots from Esseghir. Later down 3-2, Vladea held serve again, this time punctuated by a fierce overhand from Esseghir to tie it up, 3-3. The `Cats then won the next two games, extending to a fairly comfortable lead at 5-3. From there, the Wolverines never got within one point as the `Cats went on to win, 8-5.
In singles action, Vladea finished at a hurricane's pace, winning 6-1, 6-0. A truly remarkable performance considering she suffered a scare before the championship even got underway. In warm-ups, a ricocheted serve caught Vladea in the eye, making her a question mark for the match. Despite some swelling, she leaned on Esseghir in doubles competition, and by the time her singles match rolled around, she was back to her old, ruthless self. All 22 of Vladea's spring victories have come in straight sets.
Cohen pushed the `Cats ahead, 3-0, by blazing through her match at the No. 1 slot. She beat DaCosta, 6-2, 6-3.
The Wolverine's Debra Streifler gained a point back for Michigan by downing Andrea Yung (San Marino, Calif./San Marino), 6-4, 6-0. Yung was not at full strength, as she had to push through serious shoulder pain that saw her serving underhand for much of the match. It was the senior's first loss of the spring.
Prousis brought the match home at No. 4, defeating Kara Delicata, 6-1, 7-6 (5). The sophomore eased through the first set, but Delicata got her monster first serve working in the second set and put Prousis on the ropes. Down 5-3, Prousis broke the Wolverine's serve and then tied it at 5-5. Tied again at 6-6, the two moved to a tiebreak. At the second championship point, Prousis pinpointed a perfect backhanded lob that grazed the back lefthand corner, clinching the title.
The Wildcats quickly donned their Big Ten Championship t-shirts and hats, while Pollard happily searched for some dry gear.
"Every year they get me," Pollard said. "But they've earned it."
Northwestern is next in action at the NCAA Regional Championships the weekend of May 13.
Northwestern 4, Michigan 1
Doubles
No. 1 - DaCosta/Delicata (UM) def. #1 Cohen/Grier (NU), 8-6
No. 2 - #47 Prousis/Roemer (NU) def. Rutherford/Shafner (UM), 8-5
No. 3 - Esseghir/Vladea (NU) def. Exon/Streifler (UM), 8-5
Order of doubles finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
No. 1 - #5 Audra Cohen (NU) def. Michelle DaCosta (UM), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 - #19 Cristelle Grier (NU) vs. Elizabeth Exon (UM) 7-6 (5), 2-1 (abandoned)
No. 3 - #64 Alexis Prousis (NU) def. Kara Delicata (UM) 6-1, 7-6 (5)
No. 4 - Valerie Vladea (NU) def. Leanne Rutherford (UM) 6-1, 6-0
No. 5 - Debra Streifler (UM) def. Andrea Yung (NU) 6-4, 6-0
No. 6 - Alexis Conill (NU) vs. Nina Yaftali (UM) 2-6, 5-4 (abandoned)
Order of singles finish: 4, 1, 5, 3
