`Cats Cruise Past Iowa, 7-0

3/24/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis

March 24, 2012

Results

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Combe Tennis Center)
Score: No. 14 Northwestern 7, Iowa 0
Records: NU (8-6, 2-0 Big Ten), Iowa (6-7, 0-2 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, March 25 -- vs. No. 25 Nebraska (Vandy Christie Tennis Center), 11 a.m.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern returned home to Evanston for the first time in a month Saturday and it did so in style by posting a convincing 7-0 shutout win over the visiting Iowa Hawkeyes. With the victory, the Wildcats improved to 2-0 in Big Ten play this season.

The unbeatable duo of Kate Turvy and Belinda Niu was just that on Saturday when the pair won for the ninth consecutive time this season for Northwestern. Iowa's tandem of Ellen Silver and Katie Zordani broke NU's serve to tie score at four games apiece then held serve to take a 5-4 lead. The undeniable chemistry between Turvy and Niu proved to be too powerful as those two 'Cats reeled off victories in the next four games to secure an 8-5 victory. For Turvy and Niu, the win was their third straight at the No. 2 position this season and their second in conference play.

Less than one minute later Brittany Wowchuk, playing alongside Linda Abu Mushrefova for the first time this season, served out for the Wildcats to put away Shelby Talcott and Ally Majercik of Iowa, 8-5. Earlier, the Wildcats held serve to take a 6-5 lead and went on to claim the next two games to clinch the important doubles point for Northwestern.

On court number three, Nida Hamilton and Veronica Corning were also paired together on the top line by head coach Claire Pollard for the first time ever. Staring down possible defeat and a 7-3 deficit against Sonja Molnar and Morven McCulloch, the 'Cats roared all the way back to knot the score at seven games each, forcing a tiebreaker. With momentum on their side, Hamilton and Corning raced out to a 5-1 lead at the changeover. The Hawkeyes scored two quick points to cut the deficit to 6-3, but NU scored once more to seal the match.

Saturday marked only the second time this season that the Wildcats won all three doubles matches. The only other time it happened came on Jan. 28 against Dartmouth. The 'Cats won all six singles matches that day as well.

Abu Mushrefova made quick work of her opponent at No. 5 singles, Iowa's Christina Harazin. The Northwestern junior dropped the first game of the first set, but easily rallied to win the next six for a comfortable first-set win. In the second frame both players began by holding serve to start, tying the tilt at one game apiece. Again Abu Mushrefova won the next five games in order to earn the second point of the match for the Wildcats. The win was the team-best ninth singles victory of the year for Abu Mushrefova.

Like Abu Mushrefova, Niu had little trouble with her singles opponent, McCulloch. Niu blanked the Hawkeye in the first set, 6-0, before earning her team's third point of the match with a 6-2 win in the second stanza. For the NU sophomore, it's the 10th Big Ten triumph of her young career.

Stacey Lee, inserted into the singles lineup at No. 6, did the honors of clinching match point for the Wildcats. The squad's lone senior defeated Silver in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-1 to pick up her second singles win of the season.

Veronica Corning kept the winning ways going for her team when she put away Zordani in two hard-fought sets. The Northwestern sophomore claimed both sets by an identical 6-3 score, sealing the win emphatically with a powerful overhand smash. It's the third consecutive singles win for Corning and the second Big Ten triumph of her season.

The two most grueling matches of the afternoon took place between each team's top four singles players. For Northwestern, Wowchuk won her challenging first set, 7-6, against Talcott and claimed the second frame with a little more breathing room at 6-3.

Molnar was the only Iowa player to win her first set when she defeated Turvy, 6-4, but NU's 16th-ranked standout exacted revenge with a 6-4 win of her own in the second set to force a superbreaker. In the decisive frame, Turvy handled Molnar with ease. After her opponent scored to make it 3-2, Turvy ripped off seven consecutive winners to close out the match victoriously. Turvy kept pace with Abu Mushrefova Saturday, as she too collected her ninth singles win of the year.

The Wildcats improved to 39-2 all-time against the Hawkeyes with the win on Saturday. Iowa drops to 6-7 overall in 2012 with a mark of 0-2 in conference play.

Northwestern will continue Big Ten action on Sunday, March 25 when 25th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers roll into town for the second time this season. The Wildcats downed the Huskers, 4-3, in an ITA National Team Indoor Championship qualifying match at Combe on Jan. 29. Heading into play this weekend, that loss stands out as the only blemish on Nebraska's record.

Tomorrow's first serve is set for 11 a.m. at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center. Please note that all Northwestern varsity matches will now be played on the six courts south of Dartmouth Street between Dartmouth and Noyes Avenue, just west of Sheridan Road in Evanston.

Doubles:
1. Nida Hamilton/Veronica Corning (NU) def. Sonja Molnar/Morven McCulloch (Iowa) - 8-7 (3)
2. Kate Turvy/Belinda Niu (NU) def. Ellen Silver/Katie Zordani (Iowa) - 8-5
3. Linda Abu Mushrefova/Brittany Wowchuk (NU) def. Shelby Talcott/Ally Majercik (Iowa) - 8-5
Order of finish: 2, 3*, 1

Singles:
1. Kate Turvy (NU) def. Sonja Molnar (Iowa) - 4-6, 6-4 (10-2)
2. Brittany Wowchuk (NU) def. Shelby Talcott (Iowa) - 7-6, 6-3
3. Belinda Niu (NU) def. Morven McCulloch (Iowa) - 6-0, 6-2
4. Veronica Corning (NU) def. Katie Zordani (Iowa) - 6-3, 6-3
5. Linda Abu Mushrefova (NU) def. Christina Harazin (Iowa) - 6-1, 6-1
6. Stacey Lee (NU) def. Ellen Silver (Iowa) - 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 5, 3, 6*, 4, 2, 1

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