May 13, 2005
Evanston, Ill.-- Fifth-seeded Northwestern defeated Valparaiso, 4-0 in opening round action of the NCAA Women's Tennis Regional. With the win, Wildcats earn a noon date on Saturday with Notre Dame who defeated Iowa in the first round, 4-1.
The 'Cats controlled the match from the beginning, claiming the doubles point, 8-0, 8-0 in under 40 minutes. The nation's second-seeded duo of Audra Cohen (Plantation, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) and Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) finished first and improve their overall record to 34-4. The No. 3 doubles duo of Feriel Esseghir (Sarasota, Fla./Brickhouse Academy) and Valerie Vladea (Tiffin, Iowa/Burlington Central) notched the point for NU.
In singles action, Cohen, Grier and Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) tallied straight-set victories to push the Wildcats into the regional final. Fourth-ranked Cohen improved to 45-5 overall with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Rachel Janssen while Prousis defeated Jill Dierberg, 6-0, 6-1. Grier capped off the afternoon with a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Monika Danko to push the score to 4-0 and seal the victory. The other three matches were abandoned as in postseason play, the first team to four points wins.
With the win, NU improves to 25-2 overall (13-0 in the Big Ten). Northwestern will play Notre Dame at Noon on Saturday, May 14 at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center with a trip to the Round of 16 in Athens, Ga. at stake.
NOTES
NU will take a 14-game win streak into Saturday's showdown with the Irish.
The 'Cats defeated Notre Dame, 5-2 on April 14.
Notre Dame and Northwestern also met last year in the regional in Evanston, with NU coming out on top, 4-1.
Valparaiso Women vs Northwestern University
5/13/2005 at Evanston, Ill.
#6 Northwestern University 4, Valparaiso Women 0
Singles competition:
1. Audra Cohen (NU) def. Rachel Janssen (VALPO) 6-1, 6-1
2. Cristelle Grier (NU) def. Monika Danko (VALPO) 6-0, 6-1
3. Alexis Prousis (NU) def. Jill Dierberg (VALPO) 6-0, 6-1
4. Valerie Vladea (NU) vs. Christina Scala (VALPO) 6-1, 3-2, abandoned
5. Andrea Yung (NU) vs. Whitney Chada (VALPO) 6-1, 4-0, abandoned
6. Jamie Peisel (NU) vs. Kate Evangelist (VALPO) 6-1, 3-0, abandoned
Doubles competition:
1. Audra Cohen/Cristelle Grier (NU) def. Monika Danko/Christina Scala (VALPO) 8-0
2. Kristi Roemer/Alexis Prousis (NU) vs. Rachel Janssen/Jill Dierberg (VALPO) 4-3, abandoned
3. Feriel Esseghir/Valerie Vladea (NU) def. Whitney Chada/Kate Evangelist (VALPO) 8-0