March 1, 2004
EVANSTON, Ill.--Fresh off its biggest win of the season, Northwestern's 10th-ranked women's tennis team (8-3, 0-0 Big Ten) will close out its winter schedule with matches against Marquette at 4 p.m. March 2 and conference rival Wisconsin at 5 p.m. March 5 at Combe Tennis Center.
Last Saturday, the Wildcats pulled down No. 4 Washington 4-3 for their fifth win over a top-25 team this season. After a sweep in doubles, NU quickly jumped to a 4-1 lead and the victory, capped off by Jamie Peisel's (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Country Day) triumph at No. 4.
Also helping out in the upset was Connie Chiang (Oshkosh, Wis./Oshkosh West), who cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 decision at No. 6. It was the senior's first win in her only dual action this season; Chiang also has accumulated a 6-4 record with doubles partner Andrea Yung (San Marino, Calif./San Marino).
"Connie did an excellent job last week," said head coach Claire Pollard. "Every victory was crucial in our win over Washington, and she certainly did her part."
The Golden Eagles' roster is full of experience at the top. Seniors Annabelle Espinosa, Veronica Garcia Briseno and Genevieve Charron all boast dual records of .500 or better for Marquette (3-6), which lost to Indiana 7-0 on Saturday.
Briseno plays the No.1 position for the Golden Eagles and has been part of their top doubles team the entire year, playing with both Charron and Dominika Dabrowski. Briseno will try to help her squad get its first win over a Big Ten opponent, against which Marquette is 0-4.
The Badgers (5-6, 0-0), who defeated Marquette 5-2 a few weeks ago, are led by Katie McGaffigan, who is ranked No. 52. McGaffigan has beaten three ranked opponents this season, knocking off Aniela Mojzis (34), Tammy Encina (13) and Frederika Girsang (87). She teams with Lindsey Martin to helm the doubles squad.
"Our team is looking forward to conference play," said Pollard. "I think we are well-prepared after our tough nonconference schedule."
The Wildcats will be off for a while after this week, with their next match on March 23 in Miami, Fla., against DePaul. NU returns home March 28 to square off against Indiana.