ROSEMONT, Ill. - With a ranked singles win and a 5-0 weekend overall, Erica Jessel is the Big Ten Women’s Tennis Player of the Week, the conference announced on Wednesday. She is the second Northwestern player to earn a weekly honor this fall and the first Wildcat to be named Player of the Week since February of 2025.
Competing at the TCU Jae Foundation Open in Fort Worth, Texas, Jessel went undefeated in singles action, picking up a trio of individual victories. Her weekend was highlighted by her second ranked victory of the fall when she defeated No. 122 Ruby Cooling of Texas A&M by a score of 7-5, 7-5 on Sunday. It was her second straight-set victory of the weekend after she downed Tasnime Ahamout (UTA) 6-3, 6-2 on Saturday. Her third victory came against Irina Anghel of Mizzou, a 6-2, 3-6, 10-5 win on Friday.
In doubles action, Jessel teamed up with Maia Loureiro for a pair of wins on Saturday and Sunday. First, they defeated a duo from Mizzou in tiebreak fashion, winning 7-6 (7-3). Their second win came against a pair from Utah - a 7-5 victory.
The performance improved Jessel’s fall singles record to 8-1 and her doubles mark to 6-2. She is the first Northwestern Player of the Week since Neena Feldman on Feb. 26, 2025.
The ‘Cats will return to action on Nov. 6, when they will head to East Lansing, Mich. for the Michigan State Classic.