May 11, 2004
NCAA Regional Championship Game Notes for Northwestern
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EVANSTON, Ill.--Northwestern's ninth-ranked women's tennis team (23-4) will take on Illinois-Chicago (16-6) in the first round of the NCAA Championships at 2 p.m. Saturday at Vandy Christie Tennis Center. The 10th-seeded Wildcats will be playing host to their fourth-straight Regional Championship, as well as making their 15th appearance in the postseason tournament.
Two weeks ago, NU earned the Big Ten Conference's automatic bid by winning its sixth-consecutive Big Ten Championship. UIC, meanwhile, won the Horizon League title for the eighth-straight time for its tournament berth.
Also joining the Flames in this regional will be Notre Dame and Iowa, both of which the 'Cats defeated earlier this season.
"It will be a big advantage for us to have these matches at home," said head coach Claire Pollard, who was named Big Ten Coach of the Year last week by the Big Ten Conference. "I hope to have the same fan support as we did for the Big Ten Championship."
Pollard's team comes in with a 10-match winning streak, capped off by its run at the conference tournament. In the quarterfinal round, the Wildcats handily beat Purdue 4-1, held off Michigan 4-2 the following day and then shut out Ohio State 4-0 in the title match.
Third-ranked Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney), the two-time defending Big Ten Player of the Year, was triumphant in all three of her singles contests to improve to 36-3 this year, including being undefeated in her last 15 matches. Grier's doubles partner Jessica Rush (Dallas, Texas/The Hockaday School), ranked 44th in the nation, also was 3-0 in singles, and together they were flawless in doubles during the tournament.
The Wildcats will face a tough challenge in Illinois-Chicago, which boasts Horizon League Player of the Year Beatriz Cabrera (18-2) and second-team All-Horizon League members Corey Steven (17-12) and Iris Jaklin (17-17).
In their recent match against Butler, the Flames took the doubles point and three of the four singles matches to win the contest. That victory was UIC's eighth in its last nine matches.
"UIC is a good team; you have to respect anyone who wins their conference," said Pollard. "There is no margin for error in the tournament, so we will treat each match with great importance."
The winner will meet either Notre Dame or Iowa in the second round, which is slated for noon on Sunday. The regional champion will then move on to the remaining rounds May 20-23 in Athens, Ga.