Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Illinois
No. 16 Northwestern Outlasts Illinois Outdoors, 5-2
4/10/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 10, 2011
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Vandy Christie Tennis Center)
Score: No. 16 Northwestern 5, Illinois 2
Records: NU (14-5, 6-0 Big Ten) Illinois (8-9, 4-2 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Thursday, April 14 vs. Baylor • Evanston, Ill. • 3 p.m. CT
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In perfect conditions for its first outdoor home dual match, No. 16 Northwestern fought off a solid effort by Big Ten foe Illinois to post a 5-2 win Sunday at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center. Northwestern secured the doubles point with a win in tiebreakers on the No. 1 line and won the first three singles matches to finish to clinch its sixth conference victory.
Senior Maria Mosolova and freshman Belinda Niu won their 11th doubles match of the season by winning four straight games to close out Amy Allin and Leigh Finnegan of Illinois, 8-4, at the No. 2 spot.
Illinois stayed competitive and tied things up in doubles with a gritty win by Annie McCarthy and Breanne Smutko over Northwestern's No. 3 tandem of Elena Chernyakova and Brittany Wowchuk, 8-5, leaving the doubles point to be decided by each team's No. 1.
NU's seventh-ranked duo of Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton found themselves down 5-3 after Illinois' Rachael White and Allison Falkin rattled off three straight games. The Wildcat duo found their step and tied the score at six-all with a streak of their own. The 'Cats and Illini eventually worked their way to a breaker, which Abu Mushrefova and Hamilton went on to win, 8-6, their 14th of the year. The 9-8 win also gave Northwestern the first team point and energy to draw from.
Northwestern's second team point came from an easy win at No. 5 for Stacey Lee over Misia Kedzierski, 6-0, 6-1, Lee's 10th this season. Sophomore Kate Turvy followed closely behind, handling Illinois' Allison Falkin with a convincing victory of her own, 6-1, 6-4. Just like that, the Wildcats were up 3-0.
Again, Illinois stayed competitive as their No. 1, Amy Allin, played Maria Mosolova with great poise. Mosolova took the first set, 6-2, but Allin stepped up her game in the second, nearly forcing a tiebreaker. However, Mosolova stayed composed and outlasted the junior, winning a tough match, 6-2, 7-5, to earn NU the winning fourth point. Mosolova's record stays perfect on the year with an unblemished 15-0 mark.
At No. 6 singles, Leigh Finnegan of Illinois survived a long match against Northwestern's Nida Hamilton, 7-5, 6-2, giving the Illini their first point of the day. About 30 minutes later, NU's standout freshman No. 2 Belinda Niu finished off Rachael White of Illinois for her 15th win this season, 6-3, 6-4.
A tough battle surfaced at the No. 4 spot as Brittany Wowchuk and Breanne Smutko went back and forth, each winning a set, forcing a first-to-10 tiebreaker scenario. Wowchuk fought hard on every point but eventually succumbed to Smutko, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11-9), ending the match.
Next up for the Wildcats is a nonconference date with No. 9 Baylor at 3 p.m. on Thursday in Evanston. Weather permitting, the match will be held outdoors at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center, but keep up to date with NUsports.com for the latest information leading up to the match.
No. 16 Northwestern 5, Illinois 2
Singles:
1: #16 Maria Mosolova (NU) def. Amy Allin (IL), 6-2, 7-5
2: #74 Belinda Niu (NU) def. #96 Rachael White (IL), 6-3, 6-4
3: #92 Kate Turvy (NU) def. Allison Falkin (IL), 6-1, 6-4
4: Breanne Smutko (IL) def. #50 Brittany Wowchuk (NU), 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (11-9)
5: Stacey Lee (NU) def. Misia Kedzierski (IL), 6-0, 6-1
6: Leigh Finnegan (IL) def. Nida Hamilton (NU), 7-5, 6-2
Doubles:
1: Abu Mushrefova/Hamilton (NU) def. White/Falkin (IL), 9-8 (8-6)
2: Mosolova/Niu (NU) def. Allin/Finnegan (IL), 8-4
3: McCarthy/Smutko (IL) def. Chernyakova/Wowchuk (NU), 8-5
Order of Finish:
Singles (5, 3, 1*, 6, 2, 4)
Doubles (2, 3, 1*)
