Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, April 17
College Park, Md.
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
3
at
4
Maryland
Photo by: Maryland Athletics
‘Cats Defeat Rutgers to Close Regular Season
4/19/2026 6:09:00 PM | Women's Tennis
PISCATAWAY, N.J. — No. 57 Northwestern ended its regular season by defeating Rutgers 4-2 on Sunday afternoon after suffering a 4-3 setback against No. 45 Maryland two days earlier.
The Wildcats (14-11, 6-7 Big Ten) dropped the doubles point against the Scarlet Knights (8-15, 1-12 Big Ten), but rallied with a strong singles showing to win their sixth Big Ten victory of the season.
Despite dropping the doubles point, junior Neena Feldman and first-year Marelie Raath won their fifth consecutive match together. At the No. 2 doubles position, they tabbed a 6-3 victory. The pairing finished the regular season with a 9-1 record together.
Sophomore Erica Jessel evened the match at one apiece with a comprehensive 6-3, 7-5 result at the No. 4 singles slot, moving her to 8-4 on the season in singles. Jessel overcame a 4-0 deficit in the second set.
Playing on the No. 6 court, sophomore Maia Loureiro gave Northwestern the lead with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 decision. It marked the first singles win in nearly a month for Loureiro, who has been in and out of the lineup.
Feldman put the Wildcats just one point away from victory with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot. She won seven straight points in the first-set tiebreaker.
Though Rutgers took the match at No. 2 singles, sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman clinched the match for Northwestern with a comeback win. After dropping the first set 2-6, she won the second set 7-5 and the third set 6-3. She won four straight games at the end of the third set to secure the match.
Against the Terrapins on Friday afternoon (16-6, 8-5 Big Ten), the Wildcats took an early 2-1 lead but were unable to secure the match.
Northwestern opened the match by claiming the doubles point. On the No. 1 court, Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala, the No. 38 doubles team in the nation, downed the country's No. 74 team in Diya Challa and Emma Ghirardato, 6-3. Though the Wildcats fell at No. 3 doubles, Feldman and Raath tabbed a 6-3 win at the No. 2 slot.
Maryland won the No. 3 singles match, but Northwestern quickly reclaimed the lead behind Phanthala's 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Oliwia Orlinska, the No. 101 player in the country. The result was the second ranked win of the season for Phanthala, the No. 91-ranked singles player nationally.
The Terrapins responded with a win on the No. 2 court, but Dagan Fruchtman came away with a 7-5, 6-4 victory at No. 5 singles to regain the lead. The Wildcats were unable to close out the match, however, losing the remaining two singles matches.
Dagan Fruchtman closed the regular season with a team-best 14 wins in the dual season, the most by a Northwestern underclassman since the 2021 campaign.
The 'Cats will now turn their attention to the postseason, beginning with a rematch against the Terrapins in the first round of the Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament presented by Allstate. The tenth-seeded Wildcats will match up with No. 7 seed Maryland at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 23, in Columbus, Ohio. The winner will then go on to face the No. 2 seed, USC.
The Wildcats (14-11, 6-7 Big Ten) dropped the doubles point against the Scarlet Knights (8-15, 1-12 Big Ten), but rallied with a strong singles showing to win their sixth Big Ten victory of the season.
Despite dropping the doubles point, junior Neena Feldman and first-year Marelie Raath won their fifth consecutive match together. At the No. 2 doubles position, they tabbed a 6-3 victory. The pairing finished the regular season with a 9-1 record together.
Sophomore Erica Jessel evened the match at one apiece with a comprehensive 6-3, 7-5 result at the No. 4 singles slot, moving her to 8-4 on the season in singles. Jessel overcame a 4-0 deficit in the second set.
Playing on the No. 6 court, sophomore Maia Loureiro gave Northwestern the lead with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 decision. It marked the first singles win in nearly a month for Loureiro, who has been in and out of the lineup.
Feldman put the Wildcats just one point away from victory with a 7-6 (7-1), 6-4 win at the No. 2 spot. She won seven straight points in the first-set tiebreaker.
Though Rutgers took the match at No. 2 singles, sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman clinched the match for Northwestern with a comeback win. After dropping the first set 2-6, she won the second set 7-5 and the third set 6-3. She won four straight games at the end of the third set to secure the match.
Against the Terrapins on Friday afternoon (16-6, 8-5 Big Ten), the Wildcats took an early 2-1 lead but were unable to secure the match.
Northwestern opened the match by claiming the doubles point. On the No. 1 court, Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala, the No. 38 doubles team in the nation, downed the country's No. 74 team in Diya Challa and Emma Ghirardato, 6-3. Though the Wildcats fell at No. 3 doubles, Feldman and Raath tabbed a 6-3 win at the No. 2 slot.
Maryland won the No. 3 singles match, but Northwestern quickly reclaimed the lead behind Phanthala's 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Oliwia Orlinska, the No. 101 player in the country. The result was the second ranked win of the season for Phanthala, the No. 91-ranked singles player nationally.
The Terrapins responded with a win on the No. 2 court, but Dagan Fruchtman came away with a 7-5, 6-4 victory at No. 5 singles to regain the lead. The Wildcats were unable to close out the match, however, losing the remaining two singles matches.
Dagan Fruchtman closed the regular season with a team-best 14 wins in the dual season, the most by a Northwestern underclassman since the 2021 campaign.
The 'Cats will now turn their attention to the postseason, beginning with a rematch against the Terrapins in the first round of the Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament presented by Allstate. The tenth-seeded Wildcats will match up with No. 7 seed Maryland at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 23, in Columbus, Ohio. The winner will then go on to face the No. 2 seed, USC.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
12
66
Oliwia Orlinska / 0 (101/-) [UMD]
33
#2 Singles Match
12
43
Emma Ghirardato / 0 [UMD]
66
#3 Singles Match
12
23
Magdalena Baniak / 0 [UMD]
66
#4 Singles Match
123
464
Diya Challa / 0 [UMD]
646
#5 Singles Match
12
76
Lucia Donnelly / 0 [UMD]
53
#6 Singles Match
12
26
Tamari Gagoshidze / 0 [UMD]
67
Order of Finish:
3,1,2,5,6,4
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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