Cardinal Edge 'Cats in Late Night, Third-Round Thriller

5/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis

May 21, 2011

Complete Results

Site: Stanford, Calif. (Taube Family Tennis Center)
Score: No. 1 Stanford 4, No. 16 Northwestern 2
Records: NU (22-8, 9-1 Big Ten) Stanford (26-0, 8-0 Pac-10)

STANFORD, Calif. -- In a testament to the great resilience Northwestern exuded throughout the season, Friday's NCAA Championship Round of 16 matchup that pitted the Wildcats against top-seeded Stanford went late into the night and down to the wire -- a rare scenario for the Cardinal when playing at home. After earning the crucial doubles point, Northwestern put Stanford in the position of having to play from behind, but the Cardinal used the singles portion to edge the 'Cats by a 4-2 margin.

"That was a tough match," said head coach Claire Pollard afterward. "We gave Stanford all we could, and that's really what we set out to do: to be a very tough opponent for Stanford. We wanted to show everybody here what it meant to play for Northwestern, and I think we did that. It was a really tough way to end though."

Per usual, Northwestern came out of the gates swinging, looking to gain an edge by claiming the doubles point. Things looked dire for the 'Cats, however, when both the No. 2 team of Maria Mosolova and Belinda Niu and the No. 3 team of Elena Chernyakova and Brittany Wowchuk found themselves in a 4-1 hole. Each Wildcat tandem found enough tenacity to rattle off three-straight wins to even things at four apiece. When all was said and done, Mosolova and Niu not only won three straight, they pulled off seven of the last eight games to take the match, 8-5, over Stanford's Nicole Gibbs and Veronica Li.

At almost the exact same time, Chernyakova and Wowchuk finished off their match by winning eight of the last 10 games in exciting fashion. With shots falling their way, and the fact that the two remained in sync despite being down early, Chernyakova and Wowchuk beat the 74th-ranked Carolyn McVeigh and Stacey Tan, 8-6. The win, clocked at almost 10:30 p.m. PT, gave Northwestern a 1-0 lead heading into a late-night singles bout.

Northwestern struggled in the early going and dropped five of the first six sets to Stanford, but the dual was far from over. Off the courts first was Brittany Wowchuk at No. 3. Eighteenth-ranked, and undefeated, Nicole Gibbs outlasted the Wildcat sophomore in two sets, 6-1, 6-2, tying things at 1-1. Not long after, however, NU's Kate Turvy snagged a great win at No. 4 over 43rd-ranked Stacey Tan. Turvy worked her way to a 6-3, 6-3 win -- her seventh consecutive singles victory -- which put the 'Cats in a great position at 2-1.

In succession, Northwestern's No. 2, Belinda Niu, and No. 1, Maria Mosolova fell in their matches. Niu lost her first set to No. 22 Mallory Burdette, 6-1, but came out in the second with a 2-1 lead. Her lead slipped though as Burdette was able to force a few errors at crucial points in the match. Niu eventually fell in a difficult match, 6-1, 6-4, finishing her dual season with a 20-6 record.

Senior Mosolova, ranked No. 10 in the country, had the tough assignment of facing third-ranked Hilary Barte, a 2010 NCAA Singles Championship semifinalist. Barte and Mosolova went at it in an incredible match, though it only lasted two sets. Barte broke a 4-4 tie in the first by closing out the set 6-4 and went on to hand Mosolova just her third dual loss this year, 6-4, 6-1.

With the match at 3-2, attention turned to the No. 5 court with Linda Abu Mushrefova and Veronica Li, and the No. 6 court with Stacey Lee and Carolyn McVeigh.

Both Abu Mushrefova and Lee lost their first set, but each held firm and took their second set. Abu Mushrefova fought off Li in a second-set tiebreaker, 8-6, while Lee won her second set with relative ease, downing McVeigh, 6-3. As the two matches wore on, side by side, things began to take shape for the Cardinal. Lee won her first game, but was unable to fend off McVeigh in a 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 outcome, effectively punching Stanford's ticket to the quarterfinals. At 1:30 a.m. PT, Abu Mushrefova's match was left abandoned with Li out in front, 6-3, 6-7 (6), 3-2.

Northwestern's team season is in the books with a 22-8 record and a 9-1 mark in conference play. However, the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships leave the 'Cats with some unfinished business. Mosolova was selected to the NCAA Singles Championship while NU's No. 1 doubles tandem of Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton each will be making their first appearance in the doubles competition. Both events will begin on May 24, following the conclusion of the NCAA team championship.

NCAA Women's Tennis Championship - Round of 16
Stanford 4, Northwestern 2
Doubles (Order of Finish: 1, 3, 2*)
1) No. 3 Barte/Burdette (STAN) d. No. 11 Abu Mushrefova/Hamilton (NU) 8-5
2) Mosolova/Niu (NU) d. Gibbs/Li (STAN) 8-5
3) Chernyakova/Wowchuk (NU) d. No. 74 McVeigh/Tan (STAN) 8-6

Singles (Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2, 1, 6*)
1) No. 3 Hilary Barte (STAN) d. No. 10 Maria Mosolova (NU) 6-4, 6-1
2) No. 22 Mallory Burdette (STAN) d. No. 68 Belinda Niu (NU) 6-1, 6-4
3) No. 18 Nicole Gibbs (STAN) d. No. 78 Brittany Wowchuk (NU) 6-1, 6-2
4) Kate Turvy (NU) d. No. 43 Stacey Tan (STAN) 6-3, 6-3
5) Veronica Li (STAN) vs. Linda Abu Mushrefova (NU) aban.
6) Carolyn McVeigh (STAN) d. Stacey Lee (NU) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1

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