MADISON, Wis. – Northwestern took home their first Big Ten tournament win with a 4-0 sweep over Minnesota in the quarterfinals.Â
Caroline Pozo and Hannah McColgan made quick work of their opponents in the doubles match with a dominant 6-1 win. Julie Byrne and Briana Crowley followed with a 6-2 win to secure the doubles point early.Â
Byrne and Crowley repeated their success on the doubles courts in their singles matches, easily winning the first two sets to give the 'Cats a 3-0 lead. Christina Hand cleaned things up at No. 6 singles in two sets like her teammates and Northwestern added another win to their record.Â
The Wildcats will return to the court tomorrow for their semifinal match against the No. 1 seeded Wolverines. First serve is set for 10 a.m. CT.Â
Singles competitionÂ
1. #125 Maria Shusharina (NU) vs. #112 Rachel Hanford (MN) 2-6, 2-4, unfinishedÂ
2. #106 Clarissa Hand (NU) vs. Ekin Ercetin (MN) 6-4, 3-3, unfinishedÂ
3. Julie Byrne (NU) def. Dalila Said (MN) 6-1, 6-1Â
4. Caroline Pozo (NU) vs. Lucia De Santa Ana (MN) 6-3, 5-2, unfinishedÂ
5. Briana Crowley (NU) def. Juliet Zhang (MN) 6-3, 6-1Â
6. Christina Hand (NU) def. River Hart (MN) 6-2, 6-3Â
Doubles competitionÂ
1. #71 Julie Byrne/Briana Crowley (NU) def. Rachel Hanford/Dalila Said (MINN) 6-2
2. Clarissa Hand/Christina Hand (NU) vs. Ekin Ercetin/Juliet Zhang (MINN) 5-2, unfinishedÂ
3. Caroline Pozo/Hannah McColgan (NU) def. River Hart/Zeyneb Sarioglan (MINN) 6-1Â
Match Notes:Â
Minnesota 6-13, 4-12Â
Northwestern 18-4, 13-3; National ranking #19Â
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (3,5,6)