Feb. 13, 2010
2010 ITA Indoor Team Championship Official Web site
MADISON, Wis. -- For the second year in a row, Northwestern's quarterfinal match at the ITA National Indoor Team Championship came down to one singles match to decide the outcome. Just like in 2009, the Wildcats prevailed in dramatic fashion, this time thanks to sophomore Elena Chernyakova's come-from-behind win as NU edged No. 7 Florida, 4-3, Saturday at Wisconsin's Nielsen Tennis Center.
After splitting her first two sets against the Gators' Claire Bartlett, Chernyakova trailed 5-4 in the third set before storming back to win the set 7-5 and send the `Cats into the semifinals. The Wildcats also received crucial singles wins from veterans Maria Mosolova and Lauren Lui as well as newcomer Brittany Wowchuk.
After losing the doubles point for the first time this season, No. 2 NU (6-0) came back in strong fashion in singles, eventually taking a 3-2 lead in the team score when senior Lauren Lui won her No. 4 singles match. Florida then tied things up at three, setting up Chernyakova's thrilling victory in the fifth of five singles matches that required three sets to determine a winner.
The Wildcats, whose quarterfinal match against the Gators was severely delayed due to previous matches on the courts and did not finish until nearly 11:30 p.m., dealt Florida its first loss of the season. Defending Indoor Team champion NU will face third-ranked California in the semifinals at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
The doubles point on Saturday went to the Gators, who captured 8-3 and 8-4 victories at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, respectively. At the top spot, it was the 26th-ranked pairing of Marritt Boonstra and Allie Will defeating NU's Lui Elena Chernyakova, while Florida's Lauren Embree and Anastasia Revzina locked up the 1-0 lead by knocking off Maria Mosolova and Brittany Wowchuk.
Wowchuk refocused her energies for singles, however, becoming the first player finished with her match with a speedy 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Caroline Hitimana at No. 5 singles. The win pulled Northwestern level at one in the team score.
The No. 3 singles match pitted NU freshman Kate Turvy against Boonstra, who is ranked No. 81 in the nation despite earning All-American status last year and finishing the season with a final national ranking of seven. Boonstra was on point in the first set winning 6-1, but Turvy showed true determination in winning the second set 6-4. But Boonstra was too much in the end, again winning by a 6-1 score to put Florida ahead 2-1.
At No. 1, NU's 12th-ranked Mosolova came up against one of Florida's highly touted freshmen in Embree, who squeaked out a win in a tight first set. From then on it was all Mosolova, who prevented NU from falling two points behind by cruising in the next two sets to win 5-7, 6-3, 6-2.
The next wave of singles matches took to the courts knowing that whichever team won two of those three would advance to the semifinals. With that in mind, Lui roared out of the gates in her No. 4 singles match against No. 92 Anastasia Revzina, stealing the first set 6-1. Revzina recovered to win the second set 6-4, but Lui settled down once more to take the third and help Northwestern surge into the lead, 3-2.
Samantha Murray took on Florida's other highly ranked freshman talent, No. 13 Allie Will, at No. 2 singles, and outlasted Will in the first set to win 7-5. After Will took the second set 6-4, Murray led the third 5-4 before Will came back to take a 6-5 lead. But Murray did not surrender easily, forcing a tiebreak where Will was able to squeak out the win and bring the match to a tie at three apiece.
The final match on the courts was the No. 6 singles match featuring Chernyakova against Florida's Claire Bartlett. After Bartlett managed to win the first set 6-4, Chernyakova found her stride and eked out the second set in a tiebreaker 7-6. The NU sophomore went back and forth in the deciding set and eventually trailed 5-4 before staging her comeback and setting off a celebration with her Northwestern teammates, keeping alive the 'Cats' hope for a repeat of last year's championship.
Complete results from Saturday's win are below:
No. 2 Northwestern 4, No. 7 Florida 3
Singles
1: #12 Maria Mosolova (NU) def. #15 Lauren Embree (FL), 5-7, 6-3, 6-2
2: #13 Allie Will (FL) def. #48 Samantha Murray (NU), 5-7, 6-4, 7-6
3: #81 Marritt Boonstra (FL) def. Kate Turvy (NU), 6-2, 4-6, 6-1
4: Lauren Lui (NU) def. #92 Anastasia Revzina (FL), 6-1, 4-6, 6-3
5: Brittany Wowchuk (NU) def. Caroline Hitimana (FL), 6-2, 6-3
6: Elena Chernyakova (NU) def. Claire Bartlett (FL) def. 4-6, 7-6, 7-5
Doubles
1: #26 Boonstra/Will (FL) def. Chernyakova/Lui (NU), 8-3
2: Embree/Revzina (FL) def. Mosolova/Wowchuk (NU), 8-4
3: Hitimana/Mather (FL) vs. Murray/Turvy (NU), 5-3 (unf.)
Order of Finish
Singles: (5, 3, 1, 4, 2, 6*)
Doubles: (1, 2*)