Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, April 26
Ann Arbor, Mich.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
4
vs
3
Nebraska
Photo by: Colleen Charchut/Northwestern Athletics
Women's Tennis Walks Off Nebraska, Advances to B1G Semifinal
4/26/2024 6:37:00 PM | Women's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - No. 34 Northwestern is headed to the Big Ten Tournament's semifinal round after defeating Nebraska 4-3 in dramatic walkoff fashion on Friday afternoon in Ann Arbor. The 'Cats will move on to face second-seeded Ohio State on Saturday afternoon, with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. CT.
Three-seed Northwestern (19-6) earned a double-bye, making the match against Nebraska (14-11) their first of the tournament. They will return to the semifinal of the tournament for the first time since 2021-22, when they downed Wisconsin 4-3 in the quarterfinal before falling 3-4 to Michigan.
The doubles round of Friday's match was closely contested, but the Cornhuskers ended up on top at the conclusion. Northwestern's Maria Shusharina and Britany Lau continued their dominant season as a pair with a 6-4 victory at the #3 spot, but Nebraska won the other two courts to take an early 1-0 lead.
When it came to singles play, the 'Cats got the early advantage. Northwestern won the first set on five of six courts. Lau quickly converted her first-set victory to a 6-1, 6-2 win to tie the match up, then Justine Leong did the same with a 6-4, 6-0 win on the second court. Christina Hand was the next Wildcat to wrap up a win, outlasting opponent Isa Adrover Gallego in a pair of close sets (7-5, 7-6 (7-4)).
With the 'Cats up 3-1, Nebraska staged a comeback; the Huskers picked up each of the next two singles courts, making it a 3-3 tie with just singles #1 remaining. Shusharina picked up the first set, 6-3, then Nebraska's Raphaelle Lacasse evened the match with a 6-1 victory in set two. The third set reached a 6-6 tie, sending it to tiebreak, and the pair traded points back and forth in a thrilling final game. Eventually, Shusharina broke through, 12-11, to clinch her own match and the victory for Northwestern, 4-3.
Next up for Northwestern will be a tough Ohio State team that has gone 18-6 overall, including Friday's 4-1 victory over Penn State in their own quarterfinal match. The Buckeyes came out on top of their regular season matchup with Northwestern, winning 4-1 just a week ago. Should the 'Cats defeat the Buckeyes, they would advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship, which is set to be played on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
Three-seed Northwestern (19-6) earned a double-bye, making the match against Nebraska (14-11) their first of the tournament. They will return to the semifinal of the tournament for the first time since 2021-22, when they downed Wisconsin 4-3 in the quarterfinal before falling 3-4 to Michigan.
The doubles round of Friday's match was closely contested, but the Cornhuskers ended up on top at the conclusion. Northwestern's Maria Shusharina and Britany Lau continued their dominant season as a pair with a 6-4 victory at the #3 spot, but Nebraska won the other two courts to take an early 1-0 lead.
When it came to singles play, the 'Cats got the early advantage. Northwestern won the first set on five of six courts. Lau quickly converted her first-set victory to a 6-1, 6-2 win to tie the match up, then Justine Leong did the same with a 6-4, 6-0 win on the second court. Christina Hand was the next Wildcat to wrap up a win, outlasting opponent Isa Adrover Gallego in a pair of close sets (7-5, 7-6 (7-4)).
With the 'Cats up 3-1, Nebraska staged a comeback; the Huskers picked up each of the next two singles courts, making it a 3-3 tie with just singles #1 remaining. Shusharina picked up the first set, 6-3, then Nebraska's Raphaelle Lacasse evened the match with a 6-1 victory in set two. The third set reached a 6-6 tie, sending it to tiebreak, and the pair traded points back and forth in a thrilling final game. Eventually, Shusharina broke through, 12-11, to clinch her own match and the victory for Northwestern, 4-3.
Next up for Northwestern will be a tough Ohio State team that has gone 18-6 overall, including Friday's 4-1 victory over Penn State in their own quarterfinal match. The Buckeyes came out on top of their regular season matchup with Northwestern, winning 4-1 just a week ago. Should the 'Cats defeat the Buckeyes, they would advance to the Big Ten Tournament Championship, which is set to be played on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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