May 26, 2000
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern University women's tennis capped off its best season in 14 years in spectacular fashion, winning their second-straight Big Ten title and then punctuating it with a berth into the Round of 16 in the NCAA Championships Round of 16 in Malibu, Calif. Playing one of the toughest schedules in the nation -- the 'Cats faced 20 nationally-ranked teams a total of 23 times -- Northwestern posted a 24-5 overall record, marking the most wins since the 1986 team went 26-4.
NU kicked off the 2000 season in grand fashion. Ranked 20th in the nation, the 'Cats upset No. 17 South Alabama, 5-3, en route to a five-match win streak. In that match, NU's No. 1 doubles team of senior Katherine Nasser and Colleen Cheng defeated the then-top-ranked duo in the nation, 8-3.
Following their successful start, the 'Cats were invited to the prestigious National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis. NU fell to seventh-ranked Duke, 6-2, before upsetting No. 5 Mississippi and No. 14 South Carolina by 5-2 scores. NU suffered its second loss of the season on March 1, falling to No. 15 Notre Dame, 6-3. The 'Cats picked up momentum, though, and went on another five-match win streak to earning an ITA ranking of No. 10.
Northwestern entered the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 3 seed behind Ohio State and Illinois, both of whom beat the Wildcats during the regular season. The 'Cats met Indiana in the first round and blanked them, 4-0, then avenged an earlier loss to the Illini, 4-1. That put Northwestern in the championship match against fourth-seeded Minnesota. In a emotionally and physically draining match, the Wildcats pulled out the 4-3 win for their fourth Big Ten title. Senior Jennifer Lutgert clinched the match with third-set tiebreak victory, as she came from behind to defeat Minnesota's Tammy Wang, 5-7, 6-2, 7-6(1).
That gave the 'Cats an automatic berth into the 64-team NCAA field, and they received the No. 1 seed for a regional held in Tulsa, Okla. NU needed only 45 minutes to knock off fourth-seeded Oral Roberts in the first round (5-0), then applied more of the same in the second round to defeat Tulsa by an identical score. With the two wins, the Wildcats were headed to Malibu.
Northwestern reached the Round of 16 ranked 14th in the nation and met top-ranked Stanford in the opening round. The Wildcats gave the Cardinal a push, winning at No. 3 singles and taking the No. 4 singles to three sets. The Cardinal proved to be too much for the talented Wildcats, though, and won the match, 5-1. Northwestern's lone point came when Colleen Cheng disposed of No. 38 Teryn Ashley, 6-4, 6-2. Stanford would go on to the championship match before losing to Georgia.
In addition to team success, the Wildcats compiled an impressive list of individual accolades. All-conference honors, invitations to the NCAA Individual Championships, and shattered records were just some of the accomplishments from the 2000 season.
Katherine Nasser, NU's No. 1 singles player, was invited to participate in the NCAA Singles Championships in Malibu after compiling a 31-16 record and a No. 51 national ranking. She was eliminated by Georgia's Lori Grey, 6-2, 6-2 in the first round. Nasser was also joined in the NCAA Doubles Championships by Colleen Cheng after the Wildcats' No. 1 doubles team posted an 11-11 record to earn a No. 31 national ranking during the year. Unfortunately, the duo was eliminated by a pair from Arizona State (6-4, 6-1) in the first round.
NU's top two singles players, Nasser and junior Shannon Duffy, were named to the All-Big Ten team. It was Nasser's fourth All-Big Ten distinction, while it marked the third time for Duffy. Duffy earned the honor after going a perfect 10-0 in Big Ten play this year -- one of just three players in the conference to accomplish the feat.
Sophomore Lia Jackson had a career-best season at No. 4 singles, going 38-16 and breaking Duffy's school record for most singles wins in a season (31). Jackson also tallied 16 straight wins from January to March, tying the school record. Jackson was one of four Wildcats to reach 30 wins this season -- freshman Marine Piriou closed out her first season with a 33-6 record at No. 5 singles, while Cheng went 33-12 (a career-high for wins) at No. 3 to complement Nasser's 31-16 mark.
With a strong nucleus returning, Coach Pollard is looking forward to the seasons ahead and the continued success for the Wildcat program. Pollard loses Nasser, Lutgert and Leigh Weinraub to graduation this spring, but will welcome four newcomers in the fall.