March 30, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following two convincing singles wins against ranked opponents and two victories in doubles against tandems ranked in the top 25, NU junior Maria Mosolova was tabbed the Big Ten Player of the Week on Tuesday. Mosolova's singles successes extended her current winning streak to five while increasing her career win total at Northwestern to 99.
For Mosolova, the league's two-time defending Player of the Year, the weekly accolade is the sixth of her career and the first of the 2010 dual season.
In a showdown between the nation's two top-ranked squads, Mosolova teamed with senior Lauren Lui to defeat North Carolina's 10th-ranked team of Sophie Grabinski and Sanaz Marand in a thrilling 9-8 tiebreaker match. It was just the second time this season that Mosolova and Lui paired off together in doubles, but the duo carried that momentum into Wednesday's match where they bested Duke's 25th-ranked Elizabeth Plotkin and Reka Zsilinzska. Northwestern won the doubles point in both dual matches.
On the singles side, Mosolova overcame 42nd-ranked Katrina Tsang, 6-2, 6-4, defeating Tsang for the second time in five weeks. The next day, Mosolova's 22nd singles win of the year came against Duke's 36th-ranked Ellah Nze with Mosolova again winning in straight sets, 7-6, 6-0.
Northwestern, ranked No. 4 in the most recently released Campbell's/ITA College Tennis rankings, returns to Big Ten play this weekend when it hosts No. 8 Michigan Saturday and Michigan State Sunday at the Vandy Christie Outdoor Tennis Center.
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