Sunday, February 13
Evanston, Ill.
12 p.m. CT

Northwestern

6
vs
1

Notre Dame

Clarissa Hand and Maria Shusharina celebrate against Notre Dame
Photo by: John Konstantaras

'Cats Cruise Past Notre Dame in Home Opener

2/13/2022 9:06:00 PM | Women's Tennis

EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern took care of Notre Dame in a 6-1 victory on Sunday afternoon in its home opener at the Combe Tennis Center.

The Wildcats improved to 2-3 in the early season while dropping the Fighting Irish to 6-3. The visitors had picked up Power 5 wins this season over Colorado, Purdue and Michigan State.

Northwestern pounced early with a doubles point featuring strong sets across the board. Clarissa Hand and Maria Shusharina claimed a 6-3 win at No. 1 while Sydney Pratt and Hannah McColgan found their form with a 6-2 win at No. 2 to secure the 1-0 overall lead. At No. 3, Briana Crowley and Christina Hand had a 5-3 lead. 

Ema Lazic wrapped up her match at No. 5 to make it 2-0, pulling away from Carrie Beckman with a 6-0, 6-0, double bagel. 

Cl. Hand followed suit with the second straight set win of the day, a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 1 over Julia Andreach. 

Despite the 3-0 lead, three of the remaining matches all went the distance. Justine Leong clinched the match at 4-0 with a 6-0, 0-6, 6-3 victory at No. 4 over Yashna Yellayi, who went 8-5 last year for Notre Dame in singles playing across the 4-6 spots in the lineup.

The Irish claimed their lone point of the day at No. 2 before Crowley completed an impressive 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 comeback over Maria Olivia Castedo at No. 6. 

While Pratt's match was the third straight set victory for the 'Cats, it took the longest to complete. The first-year battled for a 7-6, 7-6 win over Nibedita Ghosh featuring a satisfying 8-6 tiebreak in the second to put the stamp on an overall 6-1 win for the team. Ghosh is a freshman for Notre Dame who, like Pratt, was ranked in the top-40 by Tennis Recruiting before college.

The Wildcats continue their February homestand next week with a Sunday doubleheader against Harvard and Miami starting at noon.

Full results for the match can be found below

Notre Dame vs Northwestern
02/03/2022 at Evanston, IL
(Combe Tennis Center)

Northwestern 6, Notre Dame Fighting Irish 1

Singles competition
1. #85 Clarissa Hand (NUW) def. Julia Andreach (ND-W) 6-3, 6-4
2. Page Freeman (ND-W) def. Maria Shusharina (NUW) 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
3. Sydney Pratt (NUW) def. Nibedita Ghosh (ND-W) 7-6, 7-6 (8-6)
4. Justine Leong (NUW) def. Yashna Yellayi (ND-W) 6-0, 0-6, 6-3
5. Ema Lazic (NUW) def. Carrie Beckman (ND-W) 6-0, 6-0
6. Briana Crowley (NUW) def. Maria Olivia Castedo (ND-W) 1-6, 6-2, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Clarissa Hand/Maria Shusharina (NUW) def. Page Freeman/Julia Andreach (ND-W) 6-3
2. Sydney Pratt/Hannah McColgan (NUW) def. Carrie Beckman/Meghan Coleman (ND-W) 6-2
3. Briana Crowley/Christina Hand (NUW) vs. Nibedita Ghosh/Maria Olivia Castedo (ND-W) 5-3, unfinished

Match Notes:
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2); Singles (5,1,4,2,6,3)

 

Team Stats

#1 Doubles Match

1
Page Freeman/ Julia Andreach [ND-W]
3
6

#2 Doubles Match

1
Carrie Beckman/ Meghan Coleman [ND-W]
2
6

#3 Doubles Match

12
Nibedita Ghosh/ Maria Olivia Castedo [ND-W]
30
5UF

Order of Finish:

1,2

#1 Singles Match

12
Julia Andreach / 0 [ND-W]
34
LogoHand, Clarissa / 0 (85/-) [NUW]
66

#2 Singles Match

123
Page Freeman / 0 [ND-W]
466
LogoShusharina, Maria / 0 [NUW]
604

#3 Singles Match

12
Nibedita Ghosh / 0 [ND-W]
66
LogoPratt, Sydney / 0 [NUW]
77

#4 Singles Match

123
Yashna Yellayi / 0 [ND-W]
063
LogoLeong, Justine / 0 [NUW]
606

#5 Singles Match

12
Carrie Beckman / 0 [ND-W]
00
LogoLazic, Ema / 0 [NUW]
66

#6 Singles Match

123
Maria Olivia Castedo / 0 [ND-W]
623
LogoCrowley, Briana / 0 [NUW]
166

Order of Finish:

5,1,4,2,6,3

Players Mentioned

/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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