March 10, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern junior Lauren Lui has earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors on the heels of her successful opening weekend of conference competition against Wisconsin and Michigan State. Lui remained unbeaten in singles matches during her Big Ten dual career, improving to 22-0.
This is her first weekly Big Ten laurel of 2009 and the third of her career.
On Wednesday, top-ranked Northwestern (11-1) began its defense of last year's record-breaking 10th consecutive Big Ten title with a dual at Wisconsin, where Lui defeated Aleksandra Markovic at the fourth singles spot, 6-2, 6-0. She also teamed with doubles partner Georgia Rose to overcome the 44th-ranked pairing of Liz Carpenter and Angela Chupa, 8-3.
Lui and Rose, ranked No. 22 nationally, won again on Saturday at Michigan State, downing Manon Noe and Whitney Wilson, 8-1. In singles play, Lui's straight-sets victory over Ana Milosavljevic upped her season mark to 23-9.
Lui has been a source of consistency all season for the 'Cats, particularly during the ITA Indoor Team Championship tournament where she won three of her four singles matches and helped NU clinch the crucial doubles point in every match that weekend. She has four wins against ranked singles opponents, including a three-set victory over then-No. 20 Bianca Eichkorn of Miami (Fla.).
She also went 4-1 at the prestigious National Collegiate Tennis Classic in January.
Northwestern is back on the courts beginning Friday when Illinois comes to Combe Tennis Center for a 5 p.m. match before the Wildcats face Indiana at 2 p.m. on Saturday.