Northwestern University Athletics
Sunday, January 25
Evanston, Ill.
10 a.m. CT
Northwestern
7
vs
0
UIC
Photo by: Christina Lin/Northwestern Athletics
'Cats Sweep Flames, 7-0, in Home Opener
1/25/2026 3:08:00 PM | Women's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. — For the sixth consecutive season, Northwestern won its home opener, sweeping UIC 7-0 in Combe Tennis Center on Sunday morning.
With the victory over the Flames (0-1), the Wildcats have started the dual season 4-0 for the first time since the 2017 season.
"It's nice to play at home. First (home) match for the two freshmen, so it's nice for them to get good, comfortable wins," Head Coach Claire Pollard said. "We're off to a good start."
Northwestern took the doubles point quickly with wins at the top two slots. On the No. 2 court, sophomore Maia Loureiro and first-year Marelie Raath claimed a 6-1 win, as Loureiro hit three volley winners in the closing game. Shortly thereafter, sophomore Erica Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala tabbed a 6-1 victory of their own at the No. 1 position.
The Wildcats didn't miss a beat when switching to singles. Junior Autumn Rabjohns, playing at the No. 3 spot, prevailed 6-0, 6-2, to acquire Northwestern's first point in singles.
Rabjohns, who played the majority of her singles matches at No. 6 last season, is 4-0 in singles this season. She has not dropped a set and has lost just nine games.
"She's sort of a great advertisement for what our program is about — someone who buys into everything we sell," Pollard said. "(She) has really bought into coaching and really developed."
Seconds after Rabjohns' triumph, No. 1 Phanthala also recorded her fourth victory this season with a 6-1, 6-1 decision to put Northwestern up 3-0.
"I just saw (Autumn) win, and it was match point for me," Phanthala said. "I was so happy for her, and I was just like, 'Okay, I got to do it. It's my turn now."
Making her season debut in singles, Jessel — at the No. 6 slot — notched a 6-2, 6-0 victory to clinch the match for the Wildcats. She closed the match by winning nine consecutive games, which Pollard credited to her improvement in returning serve.
To round out the day for Northwestern, Raath won 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 5 spot. Junior Neena Feldman added on with a 6-4, 6-4 result at No. 2, and No. 4 Loureiro capped off the match with a 5-7, 6-2, [10-7] victory.
Amid the team's 4-0 start, Pollard is reminding her squad not to get ahead of itself.
"We're trying to take it week by week. We're not going back to last week. We're not going forward too far," Pollard said. "We're just trying to really teach the girls to play a complete season — one day at a time, one moment at a time, one match at a time."
The Wildcats will play on the road for the final time in their non-conference schedule next weekend, when they travel to Tennessee to take on Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Northwestern will kick off its weekend by taking on Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 11 a.m. CT.
With the victory over the Flames (0-1), the Wildcats have started the dual season 4-0 for the first time since the 2017 season.
"It's nice to play at home. First (home) match for the two freshmen, so it's nice for them to get good, comfortable wins," Head Coach Claire Pollard said. "We're off to a good start."
Northwestern took the doubles point quickly with wins at the top two slots. On the No. 2 court, sophomore Maia Loureiro and first-year Marelie Raath claimed a 6-1 win, as Loureiro hit three volley winners in the closing game. Shortly thereafter, sophomore Erica Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala tabbed a 6-1 victory of their own at the No. 1 position.
The Wildcats didn't miss a beat when switching to singles. Junior Autumn Rabjohns, playing at the No. 3 spot, prevailed 6-0, 6-2, to acquire Northwestern's first point in singles.
Rabjohns, who played the majority of her singles matches at No. 6 last season, is 4-0 in singles this season. She has not dropped a set and has lost just nine games.
"She's sort of a great advertisement for what our program is about — someone who buys into everything we sell," Pollard said. "(She) has really bought into coaching and really developed."
Seconds after Rabjohns' triumph, No. 1 Phanthala also recorded her fourth victory this season with a 6-1, 6-1 decision to put Northwestern up 3-0.
"I just saw (Autumn) win, and it was match point for me," Phanthala said. "I was so happy for her, and I was just like, 'Okay, I got to do it. It's my turn now."
Making her season debut in singles, Jessel — at the No. 6 slot — notched a 6-2, 6-0 victory to clinch the match for the Wildcats. She closed the match by winning nine consecutive games, which Pollard credited to her improvement in returning serve.
To round out the day for Northwestern, Raath won 6-4, 6-3 at the No. 5 spot. Junior Neena Feldman added on with a 6-4, 6-4 result at No. 2, and No. 4 Loureiro capped off the match with a 5-7, 6-2, [10-7] victory.
Amid the team's 4-0 start, Pollard is reminding her squad not to get ahead of itself.
"We're trying to take it week by week. We're not going back to last week. We're not going forward too far," Pollard said. "We're just trying to really teach the girls to play a complete season — one day at a time, one moment at a time, one match at a time."
The Wildcats will play on the road for the final time in their non-conference schedule next weekend, when they travel to Tennessee to take on Middle Tennessee and Vanderbilt. Northwestern will kick off its weekend by taking on Middle Tennessee on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 11 a.m. CT.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,1
#1 Singles Match
12
Edit Cosmo / 0 [UIC]
11
66
#2 Singles Match
12
Marta Halbersztadt / 0 [UIC]
44
66
#3 Singles Match
12
Anais Brion / 0 [UIC]
02
66
#4 Singles Match
123
Dongke Liu / 0 [UIC]
720
561
#5 Singles Match
12
Nia Cooper / 0 [UIC]
43
66
#6 Singles Match
12
Charlotte Deletioglu / 0 [UIC]
20
66
Order of Finish:
3,1,6,5,2,4
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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