Feb. 3, 2012
Site: Chapel Hill, N.C. (Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center)
Score: No. 12 Northwestern 4, No. 8 North Carolina 3
Records: NU (4-0), UNC (5-2)
Next NU Event: Saturday, Feb. 4 -- at No. 3 Duke (Durham, N.C.), 11 a.m.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- No. 12 Northwestern collected the 700th win in its storied program history on Friday on the road and in comeback fashion against the eighth-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels, 4-3. No. 1 singles player Kate Turvy clinched the victory with a thrilling three-set win.
Facing her third ranked foe in four matches this season, Turvy (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) was up to the task against McHale, who checks in at No. 16. Northwestern's top singles played won the tight first set, 6-2, before dropping the second, 6-3. In the winner-take-all final frame, Turvy outlasted her highest-ranked foe to date, 6-3, to cap off another amazing comeback for the 'Cats.
For the second straight time the 'Cats found themselves in a one-point deficit following the doubles round. Head coach Claire Pollard left her top pair of Linda Abu Mushrefova (Bradenton, Fla./Pendleton) and Nida Hamilton (Oak Brook, Ill./Hinsdale Central) in tact, but the sixth-ranked tandem was undone Friday by Shinann Featherson and Lauren McHale. Northwestern fell behind six games to none before denting the scoreboard, but the bulk of the damage had been done and they lost the match, 8-1.
Pollard rearranged her second and third teams to throw a new look at the Tar Heels. Brittany Wowchuk (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Oakville Trafalgar) and Belinda Niu (Portland, Ore./Lincoln) were paired at number two, while Veronica Corning (Pingree, Mass./Pingree School/Boston College) and Kate Turvy (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Coffman) formed the third pairing.
Corning and Turvy also fell behind 5-1 before beginning to mount a comeback. The Wildcats sliced the deficit to two at 6-4, but UNC's Laura Slater and Gina Suarez-Malaguti took two of the next three games to win 8-4 and clinch the doubles point for the home team.
Wowchuk and Niu got off to a fairly smooth start and had a 4-3 advantage midway through the set. Unfortunately for the visitors, Haley Hemm and Tessa Lyons caught fire for North Carolina and rattled off five straight game-winners to claim an 8-4 win and complete the sweep in doubles play.
The singles lineup that Northwestern used last weekend to defeat Dartmouth and Nebraska was also slightly altered Friday. Turvy remained in the No. 1 position, while Corning and Wowchuk switched lines with Corning going to No. 3 and Wowchuk elevating to No. 2. Niu, Abu Mushrefova and Hamilton remained at positions three through six.
Corning was faced with a tall task in UNC's Caroline Price, who entered play ranked 55th by the ITA. Price notched the second point of the afternoon for the Tar Heels by defeating the Wildcat in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. Niu quickly answered and earned Northwestern's first tally of the match with an easy 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Suarez-Malaguti.
Abu Mushrefova was the next to finish her match at No. 5 singles, doing so victoriously to tie the match at two wins apiece. The Florida native, knocked off UNC's Lyons, 6-4, 6-1 to notch her fourth singles win of the season for the Wildcats.
The final three singles matches of the day each needed a third set to be decided. For the second straight time, Hamilton prevailed at the No. 6 position to give the Wildcats a crucial point. After dropping the firsts set, 6-2, the sophomore rebounded to win 6-3, 6-1, to seal the point for Northwestern.
Wowchuk, ranked 86th and playing No. 2 for the first time this season, lost the first set to Featherson, 6-3, before turning things around. The junior won the second set, 6-2, but was defeated in the third, 6-4.
Turvy's victory, of course, clinched the victory for the 'Cats. Northwestern now has 700 wins in program history against just 238 losses for a winning percentage of .746. Under Pollard, the Wildcats have a record of 314-67 (.824).
Northwestern faces a quick turnaround and another stern test tomorrow when they travel up the road to take on No. 3 Duke in nonconference action. The Wildcats are looking for their first win against the Blue Devils since Feb. 11, 2009 in the second round of the ITA National Indoor Team Championships. Play starts Saturday at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center at 11 a.m.
Doubles
1. Shinann Featherston/Lauren McHale (UNC) def. No. 6 Linda Abu Mushrefova/Nida Hamilton (NU) - 8-1
2. Haley Hemm/Tessa Lyons (UNC) def. Brittany Wowchuk/Belinda Niu (NU) - 8-4
3. Laura Slater/Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC) def. Veronica Corning/Kate Turvy (NU) - 8-5
Order of finish: 1, 3*, 2
Singles
1. No. 26 Kate Turvy (NU) def. No. 16 Lauren McHale (UNC) - 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
2. Shinann Featherson (UNC) def. No. 86 Brittany Wowchuk (NU) - 6-3, 2-6, 6-4
3. No. 55 Caroline Price (UNC) def. Veronica Corning (NU) - 6-1, 6-3
4. Belinda Niu (NU) def. Gina Suarez-Malaguti (UNC) - 6-0, 6-1
5. Linda Abu Mushrefova (NU) def. Tessa Lyons (UNC) - 6-4, 6-1
6. Nida Hamilton (NU) def. Laura Slater (UNC) - 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 4, 5, 6, 2, 1*
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