March 4, 2006
ATLANTA -- With the match tied at 3-3, freshman Nazlie Ghazal (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) took a win at No. 6 singles to lead Northwestern's ninth-ranked women's tennis team past No. 3 Georgia Tech 4-3 Saturday at the Bill Moore Tennis Center. The Wildcats took the doubles point then took wins at the No. 2, No. 4 and No. 6 singles spots.
In doubles, the Wildcats' No. 3 team of Ghazal and Jamie Peisel (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Country Day) got the 'Cats started out on the right note. The duo topped Georgia Tech's Alison Silverio and Kacie Anson, 8-2.
Northwestern's fifth-ranked doubles team of Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) and Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) then fell to the Jackets' 11th-ranked team of Lyndsay Shosho and Kristi Miller, 8-3, evening the doubles score.
With the doubles point up for grabs, the Wildcats' team of Georgia Rose (Mettawa, Ill./North Shore Country Day) and Feriel Esseghir (Sarasota, Fla./Brickhouse Academy) came through with an upset of Georgia Tech's 55th-ranked team of Kelly Anderson and Whitney McCray 8-6 at No. 2 doubles, propelling Northwestern to an early 1-0 lead.
The Yellow Jackets tied the match at 1-1 when McCray topped Esseghir at No. 5 singles 6-4, 6-1.
Georgia Tech then took its first lead of the day when Silverio won in straight sets over No. 15 Prousis 6-3, 6-2.
The score evened at 2-2 when Peisel notched a 6-4, 6-4 straight-set upset over the Jackets' 60th-ranked Anderson at No. 4 singles.
At No. 1 singles, No. 10 Grier dropped the first set, but rallied to win the second set versus Georgia Tech's sixth-ranked Miller. Grier played tough in the third, but dropped the match 7-6, 3-6, 6-4.
With Georgia Tech winning 3-2, the Wildcats needed to win the next two singles matches to secure the win -- they did just that.
At No. 2 singles, Northwestern's 36th-ranked Rose dropped her first set, but rallied to top No. 74 Shosho 6-4, 5-7, 2-6. The win is Rose's 15th-straight singles win.
With the team score tied at 3-3, all eyes turned to the No. 6 singles match where Ghazal faced Georgia Tech's Christy Striplin. Ghazal took the first set, but Striplin rallied to take the second, bringing the match's outcome down to the outcome of a single set.
In the third set, Ghazal fell behind early, but roared back from a 4-3 deficit to take a 5-4 lead. Striplin then retired due to injury and Ghazal won 7-6, 3-6, 5-4.
With the win, Northwestern improves to 8-3 this season. The Wildcats return to action when they travel to Seattle to face No. 38 Washington at 2 p.m. Tuesday, March 21.
Tennis Match ResultsNorthwestern vs Georgia Tech
Mar 04, 2006 at Atlanta, Ga.
#6 Northwestern 4, #3 Georgia Tech 3
Singles competition:
1. #6 Kristi Miller (GT) def. #10 Cristelle Grier (NW) 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-4
2. #36 Georgia Rose (NW) def. #74 Lyndsay Shosho (GT) 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
3. Alison Silverio (GT) def. #15 Alexis Prousis (NW) 6-3, 6-2
4. Jamie Peisel (NW) def. #60 Kelly Anderson (GT) 6-4, 6-4
5. Whitney McCray (GT) def. Feriel Esseghir (NW) 6-4, 6-1
6. Nazlie Ghazal (NW) def. Christy Striplin (GT) 7-6, 3-6, 5-4, retired
Doubles competition:
1. #11 Shosho/Miller (GT) def. #5 Grier/Prousis (NW) 8-3
2. Rose/Esseghir (NW) def. #55 McCray/Anderson (GT) 8-6
3. Peisel/Ghazal (NW) def. Silverio/Kacie Anson (GT) 8-2
Match Notes:
Northwestern 7-3; National ranking #6
Georgia Tech 7-2; National ranking #3
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,3,4,1,2)