Feb. 1, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - Fifth-ranked Northwestern travels to Wisconsin this Thursday for the 18th annual USTA/ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship at the University of Wisconsin's A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
Always one of the premier tournaments in the nation, this year should be no different. The field is dripping with tough competition, as 14 of the top 16 teams from the ITA national rankings highlight this year's draw: Stanford, Clemson, UCLA, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Duke, Tulane, Washington, Harvard, New Mexico, Georgia, Texas A&M, Miami (Fla.) North Carolina, Kentucky and host Wisconsin.
The Wildcats posted a 2-1 mark at the tournament in 2004, beating 13th-ranked Kentucky and 25th-ranked Texas A&M but falling to fourth-ranked Georgia.
Against the Bulldogs, junior Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) defeated top-ranked Agata Cioroch in straight sets. At the time, it was her fourth-straight victory against a ranked opponent.
Northwestern will get a shot at redemption early on this year, as the No. 4 seed Wildcats are slated to take on the Bulldogs in the first round at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 3.
The quarterfinals will be Friday, Feb. 4, the semifinals will take place Saturday, Feb. 5 and the finals will be on Sunday, Feb. 6.
The top seed belongs to the Stanford women, who have won a record seven national team indoor titles and are the returning champions from 2004. Georgia's squads have taken home three championships.
Stanford will face 2004 Ivy League champion Harvard in Thursday's opening round at 9 a.m.
Thursday's opening round schedule (seeding in parenthesis):
(1) Stanford vs. Harvard, 9 a.m. CT
(8) Washington vs. New Mexico, 9 a.m.
(4) Northwestern vs. Georgia, 9 a.m.
(5) Vanderbilt vs. Wisconsin, 9 a.m.
(6) Duke vs. Texas A&M, 3 p.m.
(3) UCLA vs. Miami (Fla.), 3 p.m.
(7) Tulane vs. North Carolina, 3 p.m.
(2) Clemson vs. Kentucky, 3 p.m.