May 20, 2003
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Northwestern women's tennis freshman Cristelle Grier continued her run through the NCAA Singles Championship bracket Tuesday, racking up a straight-set win over Lindsay Dawaf of host Florida.
Grier, the tournament's No. 2 seed, needed just one hour and 35 minutes to dismantle Dawaf, winning 6-3, 6-3. The victory extended Grier's win streak in singles to a school-record 27; she has not lost a match during the spring portion of this season.
Grier now moves on to the Round of 16 -- further than any other Wildcat in history -- and a meeting with another Southeastern Conference foe, unseeded Tammy Encina of Tennessee. Encina advanced to Wednesday's matches with a surprisingly easy straight-set win over UCLA's Sara Walker (6-3, 6-1).
The NCAA Doubles Championship also began Tuesday, and Grier joined NU teammate Jessica Rush in the championships. Unfortunately, it was a short stay for the Wildcat duo, who fell in the first round to the Southern California duo of Jewel Peterson and Tiffany Brymer, 6-4, 7-6(5).