Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, March 6
Iowa City, Iowa
5 p.m. CT
Northwestern
3
at
4
Iowa
Photo by: Michelle Nartey/Northwestern Athletics
Wildcats Secure 4-3 Comeback Win Over Nebraska to Close Opening Big Ten Weekend
3/8/2026 6:44:00 PM | Women's Tennis
LINCOLN, Neb. — Northwestern closed its opening weekend of Big Ten play with a 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Nebraska on Sunday afternoon in Lincoln, Neb., following a close 4-3 loss to No. 45 Iowa on Friday night.
After falling behind 3-2 against the Cornhuskers (7-4, 0-2 Big Ten), sophomore Erica Jessel and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman tabbed wins to grant the Wildcats (8-5, 1-1 Big Ten) their first comeback win of the campaign.
The match began with Northwestern claiming the doubles point. The team's No. 1 duo and the nation's No. 87 pairing of Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala notched a 6-3 victory to move to 5-1 on the season together, while sophomore Maia Loureiro and first-year Marelie Raath came back from down 4-1 to triumph 7-5 at the No. 3 doubles spot.
Junior Autumn Rabjohns, at the No. 3 singles position, was the first Wildcat to finish play, registering a 6-1, 6-1 win for her team-best ninth singles win of the season. Nebraska responded by winning the matches at the No. 4, No. 2, and No. 1 singles slots.
Jessel, making her return to the lineup, continued her undefeated singles season by moving to 4-0. Playing at No. 6, the Friendswood, Texas, native prevailed 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) to even the match at three apiece.
Dagan Fruchtman was the only player to see her match go into a third set after she dropped the second set, but she played heroically for Northwestern by logging a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 result to secure the victory for the visitors. The win marked the Wildcats' 13th straight victory over the Cornhuskers, a streak that dates back to 2014.
On Friday night against the Hawkeyes (8-5, 2-0 Big Ten), Northwestern nearly had a comeback but fell just short in its 4-3 defeat.
The Wildcats won the doubles point, with Raath and sophomore Neena Feldman opening the match with a 6-4 victory at the No. 2 doubles spot. The No. 1 pairing of Jessel and Phanthala followed suit, triumphing 6-4 over the nation's No. 25 doubles team of Mia Mack and Daianne Hayashida.
Rabjohns recorded a 6-3, 6-3 win at the No. 3 singles position, but the Hawkeyes took three singles matches to assert their 3-2 lead. Though Feldman's 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory at No. 2 tied the match, Northwestern was unable to win at No. 5.
The Wildcats continue their road stretch when they travel to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on Saturday, March 14, at 1 p.m. CT.
After falling behind 3-2 against the Cornhuskers (7-4, 0-2 Big Ten), sophomore Erica Jessel and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman tabbed wins to grant the Wildcats (8-5, 1-1 Big Ten) their first comeback win of the campaign.
The match began with Northwestern claiming the doubles point. The team's No. 1 duo and the nation's No. 87 pairing of Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala notched a 6-3 victory to move to 5-1 on the season together, while sophomore Maia Loureiro and first-year Marelie Raath came back from down 4-1 to triumph 7-5 at the No. 3 doubles spot.
Junior Autumn Rabjohns, at the No. 3 singles position, was the first Wildcat to finish play, registering a 6-1, 6-1 win for her team-best ninth singles win of the season. Nebraska responded by winning the matches at the No. 4, No. 2, and No. 1 singles slots.
Jessel, making her return to the lineup, continued her undefeated singles season by moving to 4-0. Playing at No. 6, the Friendswood, Texas, native prevailed 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (7-3) to even the match at three apiece.
Dagan Fruchtman was the only player to see her match go into a third set after she dropped the second set, but she played heroically for Northwestern by logging a 6-4, 4-6, 6-2 result to secure the victory for the visitors. The win marked the Wildcats' 13th straight victory over the Cornhuskers, a streak that dates back to 2014.
On Friday night against the Hawkeyes (8-5, 2-0 Big Ten), Northwestern nearly had a comeback but fell just short in its 4-3 defeat.
The Wildcats won the doubles point, with Raath and sophomore Neena Feldman opening the match with a 6-4 victory at the No. 2 doubles spot. The No. 1 pairing of Jessel and Phanthala followed suit, triumphing 6-4 over the nation's No. 25 doubles team of Mia Mack and Daianne Hayashida.
Rabjohns recorded a 6-3, 6-3 win at the No. 3 singles position, but the Hawkeyes took three singles matches to assert their 3-2 lead. Though Feldman's 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory at No. 2 tied the match, Northwestern was unable to win at No. 5.
The Wildcats continue their road stretch when they travel to Urbana-Champaign, Ill., to face Illinois on Saturday, March 14, at 1 p.m. CT.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
#1 Singles Match
12
35
Mia Mack / 0 (87/-) [IOWA]
67
#2 Singles Match
123
266
Daianne Hayashida / 0 [IOWA]
643
#3 Singles Match
12
66
Tereza Dejnozkova / 0 [IOWA]
33
#4 Singles Match
12
61
Emma Tothova / 0 [IOWA]
76
#5 Singles Match
123
662
Nikita Vishwase / 0 [IOWA]
726
#6 Singles Match
12
52
Pia Kranholdt / 0 [IOWA]
76
Order of Finish:
3,4,1,6,2,5
Players Mentioned
/ 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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