Northwestern University Athletics
Big Ten Spotlights Lauren Lui as Player of the Week
2/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 16, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- On the heels of Northwestern's exhilarating run to a second straight ITA National Indoor Team Championship this weekend, the Big Ten Conference has bestowed Big Ten Player of the Week honors to NU senior Lauren Lui. Lui posted a 4-0 singles record in the tournament and helped the 'Cats clinch what proved to be a vital doubles point in the title match vs. North Carolina.
This is the fourth weekly honor Lui has received from the conference in her career.
Playing at her traditional No. 4 singles position, the senior defeated Tennessee's Natalie Pluskota, 6-1, 6-1, in the round of 16, then knocked off No. 92 Anastasia Revzina of Florida, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, in the quarterfinals. Lui then defeated Kasia Siwolz of California, 6-3, 7-6, in the semifinals, and finished her weekend with a 6-3, 6-4 win against North Carolina's Zoe De Bruycker, 6-3, 6-4. The Houston native was the only Wildcat to win all four singles matches throughout the tournament as Northwestern knocked off four top-15 teams to win the championship.
With her four singles wins, Lui improved her career record to 121-46.
A 2009 doubles All-American, Lui and her partner Elena Chernyakova faced a brutal stretch of doubles matches over the weekend that culminated in a crucial 8-6 upset of No. 6 Sanaz Marand and Sophie Grabinski in the title match against North Carolina. That win was the clinching match for the doubles point, which spurred the 'Cats to the 4-2 defeat of the Tar Heels on Monday.
Lui and the Wildcats return to action against another top opponent when they travel to regional rival Notre Dame on Sunday. Start time is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
