May 26, 2011

NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships
Site: Stanford, Calif. (Taube Family Tennis Center)
Next NU Event: NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships - Fri., May 27
Maria Mosolova (NU) vs. Hilary Barte (STAN), 1:30 p.m. CT
Abu Mushrefova/Hamilton (NU) vs. Dolehide/Remynse (UCLA), 4:30 p.m. CT

Tournament Central
Live Stats/Streaming Video

NCAA Singles Championship -- Updated Bracket
NCAA Doubles Championship -- Updated Brackets

STANFORD, Calif. -- Northwestern had a nearly perfect day on the courts Thursday as senior Maria Mosolova earned her fourth trip to the NCAA Singles Championships Round of 16 and the Wildcat duo of Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton secured their spot in the Round of 16 for the NCAA Doubles Championships.

Mosolova began the day for NU, taking just over one hour and 35 minutes to put away South Florida's Irene Rehberger, 6-4, 6-3, in the second round.

"We're happy about the win today," head coach Claire Pollard said after the match. "She (Mosolova) is through to the third round after a great effort today. We'll come out tomorrow with a good plan and make a run at things."

Mosolova improved to 34-6 in singles play this year with her win over the 35th-ranked Rehberger, but the match didn't start as smoothly as it ended. For the first four games, the two traded wins and things were tied at two apiece. Mosolova turned the match around, though, winning three games in a row on her way to claiming the first set. In the second, Mosolova and Rehberger once again traded games, but the All-America Wildcat took four of the final five games in the set to earn a 6-4, 6-3 victory.

Nearly four hours after Mosolova's singles victory, NU's dependable No. 1 doubles team of Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton geared up for their first-round match with Maryland's Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar and Jordaan Sanford.

"I thought Nida and Linda played well tonight once they got going," Pollard said of the tandem after their match. "It took a little while for them to get there, but once they finally got into their rhythm, they were unstoppable."

Sanchez-Quintanar and Sanford jumped out early to a surprising 4-1 lead in the first set, forcing Abu Mushrefova and Hamilton into making a few errors and throwing them off tempo. The Terrapin duo, ranked 26th in the nation, grabbed the first set, 6-4, and seemingly held all of the momentum.

But the scare stopped there as the 'Cats ran off 10-straight games to claim the second set, 6-0, and the first four games of the third. Sanchez-Quintanar and Sanford won two of four down the stretch, but it was not nearly enough for any kind of a comeback as Abu Mushrefova and Hamilton took the first-round matchup, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2.

Mosolova's second-round win set her up for a rematch with Stanford's third-ranked Hilary Barte at 1:30 p.m. CT. Mosolova and Barte met a week ago in Northwestern's Round 16 clash with No. 1-seeded Stanford. Barte took that match, 6-4, 6-1. Around the time Mosolova is set to finish, Abu Mushrefova and Hamilton hit the courts to face UCLA's 23rd-ranked Courtney Dolehide and Andrea Remynse at 4:30 p.m. CT.

NCAA Singles Championships Second Round Results
No. 10 Maria Mosolova (NU) def. No. 35 Irene Rehberger (USF), 6-4, 6-3

NCAA Doubles Championships First Round Results
No. 12 Linda Abu Mushrefova/Nida Hamilton (NU) def. No. 26 Cristina Sanchez-Quintanar/Jordaan Sanford (UMD), 4-6, 6-0, 6-2

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