Feb. 2, 2006
MADISON, Wis. -- Northwestern's fourth-ranked women's tennis team suffered its first setback of the season as it fell to No. 18 California Thursday in the opening round of the USTA-ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championships. The Golden Bears claimed the doubles point then went on to take four singles matches for the win. Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) and Georgia Rose (Mettawa, Ill./North Shore Country Day) each picked up singles wins for the 'Cats while the doubles team of Nazlie Ghazal (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) and Jamie Peisel (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Country Day) earned Northwestern's lone doubles win.
California began the dual by winning in two of the three doubles matches.
At the No. 3 spot, however, Ghazal and Peisel fended off Cal's Bojana Bobusic and Marion Ravelojaona for an 8-7 win.
At No. 1 doubles, Rose and Grier fell to Cal's team of Susie Babos and Stephanie Kusano 8-2.
Suzi Fodor and and Claire Ilcinkas then earned the win at No. 2 doubles to clinch the doubles point for Cal, beating Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) and Feriel Esseghir (Sarasota, Fla./Brickhouse Academy/UCLA) 8-3.
In singles, the 23rd-ranked Grier came out hot and tied the team score at 1-1 by defeating the Golden Bears' 14th-ranked Babos at No. 2 singles. Grier dominated the match, winning in straight sets 6-1, 6-1.
Ilcinkas then regained the lead for Cal with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Ghazal at No. 6 singles.
With Cal up 2-1, Peisel fell to the 34th-ranked Ravelojaona at No. 4 singles 6-4, 6-1.
At No. 1 singles, No. 12 Prousis came close, but was edged by Cal's 19th-ranked Fodor 6-3, 6-4, clinching the match for Cal.
Esseghir's eight-match winning streak came to an end as she fell to Bobusic 6-1, 6-2, but Rose came through with a win at No. 3 singles, beating the 61st-ranked Kusano 7-6, 6-0.
With the loss, Northwestern falls to 1-1 on the season. The Wildcats return to action at 9 a.m. Friday versus No. 12 Kentucky in their first consolation match. Northwestern then faces No. 6 Georgia at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 4.