Feb. 27, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - Junior Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) recorded a pair of dominating victories Sunday afternoon against Texas, helping the fourth-ranked Wildcats defeat the 13th-ranked Longhorns, 5-2.
Last weekend against North Carolina, Grier admittedly did not play her best tennis, as she dropped only her second dual match of the season. But the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year returned to form Sunday, nearly shutting out her opponent at No. 2 singles 6-0, 6-1.
Grier started the day in doubles, where she teamed with freshman Audra Cohen (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) to post their sixth-straight victory. The duo pounded 26th-ranked Strohm and Ruckert, 8-2. Grier finished the match with a winner down the heard of the court, improving the tandem's record to 21-2 overall, 9-2 in duals.
At No. 2 doubles, sophomore Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and senior Kristi Roemer (Piedmont, Calif./Piedmont) snapped a two-match losing skid with a 9-7 comeback win over Dizdar and Maravic. Prousis and Roemer -- enjoying a national ranking of 18th -- fell into a quick 3-0 hole. The duo got on the board in the fourth game, and Prousis then served a perfect game in the next frame to pull within one at 3-2.
From there, they kicked it into high gear and shot out to a 7-4 lead. Just as quickly though, the Longhorns ran off three-straight games to tie it up 7-7. After a series of deuces, Roemer ripped a shot down the line to take the advantage. Prousis then pin pointed a lob that grazed the back line to take an all-important 8-7 lead. Prousis served out the match to improve the tandem's record to 7-3 on the season.
"Prousis and Roemer really battled well. To be down three games against a very good Texas team, and come back, stay with it and win, was very impressive," Head Coach Claire Pollard said.
Valerie Vladea (Tiffin, Iowa/Burlington Central) and Jamie Peisel (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Country Day) fell in a tight 8-7 (5) tiebreaker to Zauft and Baritot at No. 3 doubles.
After Grier sped to her singles win in a little over an hour, Northwestern took a 2-0 lead. But two Longhorn wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles tied the match at 2-2.
The Wildcats needed to take two of the remaining three matches to ensure the win -- they took all three.
Cohen looked to be in control of her first set, getting out to a 5-1 lead. Petra Dizdar made things interesting, though, winning the next three games. After a mini-breather, and a chat with assistant coach Leigh Weinraub, Cohen composed herself, took the serve and closed out the first set, 6-4.
The top-ranked player in the nation went on to win the first three games in the second frame and eventually won 6-4, 6-2. It was her sixth-consecutive victory, improving her record to 33-2 overall, 10-1 in duals.
Vladea and Prousis still remained at the No. 4 and 3 spots, respectively.
Vladea took the first set easily, 6-2. The second set proved to be much more evenly matched, though, as her opponent, Mia Maravic, led late 5-4. Vladea knotted the score at 5-5 and again at 6-6, before winning a tiebraker. Vladea has won nine of her last 11 matches.
Having won her first set handily, Prousis found herself in a close second set, much like Vladea. Tied 6-6 against Katie Ruckert, they moved to a tiebreaker. There, Prousis closed Ruckert out, 7-3. Prousis improves to 19-7 overall, 8-3 in duals.
The `Cats are next in action Friday, March 4 at 18th-ranked Harvard.
Northwestern 5, Texas 2
Doubles
No. 1 - #2 Cohen/Grier (NU) def. Strohm/Ruckert (UT), 8-2
No. 2 - #18 Prousis/Roemer (NU) vs. Dizdar/Maravic (UT), 9-7
No. 3 - Zauft/Baritot (UT) def. Peisel/Vladea (NU), 8-7 (5)
Singles
No. 1 - #1 Audra Cohen (NU) def. Petra Dizdar (UT), 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 - #13 Cristelle Grier (NU) def. Kendra Strohm (UT), 6-0, 6-1
No. 3 - #59 Alexis Prousis (NU) def. Katie Ruckert (UT), 6-3, 7-5
No. 4 - Valerie Vladea (NU) def. Mia Maravic (UT), 6-2, 7-6 (3)
No. 5 - Courtney Zauft (UT) def. Jamie Peisel (NU), 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 - Ristine Olson (UT) def. Feriel Esseghir (NU), 6-3, 6-0
Finish order for doubles: 1, *2, 3
Finish order for singles: 2, 6, 5, 1, *4, 3
* denotes clincher