April 13, 2011
No. 15 Northwestern (14-5, 6-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 7 Baylor (18-3, 7-1 Big 12)
Thursday, April 14
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. 3 p.m.
No. 15 Northwestern (14-5, 6-0 Big Ten) vs. Indiana (12-8, 2-5 Big Ten)
Saturday, April 16
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. 11 a.m.
No. 15 Northwestern (14-5, 6-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 59 Purdue (11-6, 5-2 Big Ten)
Sunday, April 17
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. 11 a.m.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 15 Northwestern, which heads into the weekend with a nine-game win streak, will have its hands full as Baylor, Indiana and Purdue come to town for the Wildcats' last homestand this season.
With a 10-1 record at home this year, the 'Cats look kick off the final home stretch with a showdown with seventh-ranked Baylor at 3 p.m. Thursday. Then there is a quick transition back into conference play at 11 a.m. on Saturday when Indiana visits, followed by a meeting with No. 59 Purdue at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
Scheduling Notes:
- All three of Northwestern's upcoming dual matches will likely be played indoors at the Combe Tennis Center (2311 N Campus Drive). However, improvements in this weekend's weather forecast could result in matches being shifted to the Vandy Christie Outdoor Tennis Center located at the corner of Sheridan Road and Lincoln Ave in Evanston. Announcements regarding a move to the outdoor courts will be posted on NUsports.com and tweeted at @NU_Sports the morning of the event.
- Fans attending Thursday afternoon's match against Baylor are instructed to park in the lots east of SPAC and immediately north of the artificial turf fields. Cars without parking permits in the lot west of SPAC will be subjected to normal parking rules prior to 4 p.m.
- Match admission is free for all fans.
Catching Up with the 'Cats
When last we saw Northwestern in action, the Wildcats carried their momentum from a great come-from-behind victory over Notre Dame to dominant wins over Big Ten rivals Iowa, 6-1, and Illinois, 5-2. The 'Cats' strong finish against a tough Hawkeye team yielded a 6-1 win, head coach Claire Pollard's 300th victory in Evanston. The match against Illinois was the first time the 'Cats had the opportunity to play outdoors at home this year, and they took advantage of it, outlasting the Illini, 5-2, their seventh-consecutive triumph over the intra-state rival.
Mosolova Earns Second-Straight Big Ten Player of the Week Accolades
Maria Mosolova was the recipient of Big Ten Player of the Week recognition for the third time this season, and the second time in two weeks. The senior won three singles and two doubles matches last week, leading the 'Cats to three wins in over the weekend.
Mosolova picked up a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win against third-ranked Kristy Frilling of Notre Dame, fueling a come-from-behind victory over No. 20 Notre Dame. Against Iowa, she teamed up with Belinda Niu to defeat the Hawkeyes' Alexis Dorr and Christina Harazin, 8-5, at No. 2 doubles and picked up a 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-8) win over No. 101 Sonja Molnar at No. 1 singles.
Mosolova and Niu earned another win at No. 2 doubles, winning 8-4 against Illinois' Amy Allin and Leigh Finnegan. She then defeated Allin, 6-2, 7-5, at No. 1 singles to lead the Wildcats to a 5-2 win over the Fighting Illini. Mosolova, a nine-time winner of the weekly award, now boasts a career Big Ten dual singles record of 31-1.
NU in the National Rankings
Once again, the Wildcats continued their ascent in the Campbell's/ITA College Tennis team rankings, charging back into the top-15 for the first time in over a month. On the individual side, Mosolova moved up from No. 52 to start the season to No. 13 in the most recent poll. Freshman Belinda Niu ranked at a career best of No. 65.
Brittany Wowchuck sits at the No. 77 spot, and NU's fourth and final representative in the singles poll is Kate Turvy at No. 101.
Meanwhile, with several wins over top-10 opponents to their credit, Northwestern's Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton have assumed the No. 11 spot in the national doubles rankings. The 2010 ITA Midwest Regional doubles champs are a team-best 13-5 overall this season.
'Cats Prepare for Top-10, Nonconference Challenge
Northwestern has gone 8-5 against non-Big Ten teams this season, but during their current nine-game winning streak, the 'Cats have gone 4-0 in nonconference play with big victories over No. 3 North Carolina, No. 24 Texas and No. 20 Notre Dame, all in convincing fashion.
Baylor comes to Evanston as the seventh-ranked team in the country and should provide a great nonconference challenge for the Wildcats, their last of the regular season.
Scouting the Bears
Baylor enters play this weekend on an eight-match winning streak of their own, which includes wins over Oklahoma, Texas, Clemson, and Nebraska, all of which are top-35 teams. The Bears, who are 5-1 on the road this season, have three upperclassmen who have accumulated 15 or more singles victories this season: Diana Nakic with 15, Jelena Stanivuk with 18 and Nina Secerbegovic with 19.
The last time Northwestern and Baylor met was last season when both teams were ranked in the top-5. Then No. 1 Baylor hosted No. 5 Northwestern in Waco, Texas, and barely edged the upset-minded 'Cats, 4-3.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Indiana started the season with a 10-2 record, only to falter during conference play. The Hoosiers went on to lose six in a row, five of those coming from Big Ten opponents. They bounced back and regrouped last weekend, however, edging Wisconsin, 4-3, and soundly defeating Minnesota, 6-1, giving them two conference wins and some much needed momentum.
Indiana, who is led by iconic head coach Lin Loring, relies on sophomore Leslie Hureau on the No. 1 line with her 11-7 dual record and 6-4 doubles record when paired with senior Myriam Sopel. Senior Charlotte Martin owns a team-best 14-6 record in singles.
Northwestern has won 14-straight matches against Indiana dating back to the 1997 season. The 'Cats have swept the Hoosiers four times in that stretch, including in the last two meetings.
Scouting the Boilermakers
Purdue also began the season on a high note with a 6-1 record before going 2-4 in the following six games. The Boilermakers have recently strung together three straight victories, handling Iowa and Minnesota and eking out a win against Wisconsin last weekend, 4-3.
Purdue is a relatively experienced team led by lone senior, Bhavani Tirumurti. Sophomore Imogen Golder leads the Boilermakers on the year with a 13-4 singles record, going 6-1 in the Big Ten. Jennifer Rabot and Mara Schmidt make up the No. 1 doubles team and have a 9-8 record on the line this season.
The Wildcats have won the last meetings 16 against the Boilermakers, six of which have been sweeps. Last season, as the No. 1 team in the country, Northwestern handed Purdue its first loss of the season in West Lafayette, 5-2.
Looking Ahead
Northwestern will close out the regular season next week with a trip to Michigan to take on No. 10 Michigan on Saturday and Michigan State on Sunday. Shortly after the final road trip of the season, the 'Cats will travel back to Ann Arbor to compete in the Big Ten Tournament, which is set for April 28-May 1.
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