MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 6 Northwestern continued its momentum in the race atop the Big Ten standings with a 5-2 win at Minnesota on Friday.
The Wildcats improved to 15-2 on the season and 11-1 in conference, tied for second place with Ohio State and one game back of Michigan.
First year Maria Shusharina, ranked No. 89, picked up the headlining win of the day with a 6-2, 6-4 takedown of No. 70 Rachel Hanford at No. 1 singles. The 'Cats also saw straight set wins from Briana Crowley, Caroline Pozo and Christina Hand. Despite tough third set losses, both Julie Byrne and Clarissa Hand won a set and played competetive super-tiebreaks after the overall match had been clinched.
The doubles points was take care of early thanks to quick 6-3 victories from Byrne and Crowley at No. 1 and Hannah McColgan and Pozo at No. 3.
Northwestern continues its final stretch of the regular season with four matches to play at Wisconsin on Sunday. The match is set to start at 2 p.m.
No. 6 Northwestern (15-2, 12-1) vs Minnesota (3-9, 3-9)
Northwestern 5, Minnesota 2
Singles
1. #89 Maria Shusharina (NU) def. #70 Rachel Hanford (MINN) 6-2, 6-4
2. Ekin Ercetin (MINN) def. Julie Byrne (NU) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (11-9)
3. Dalila Said (MINN) def. #65 Clarissa Hand (NU) 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8)
4. Briana Crowley (NU) def. River Hart (MINN) 6-1, 6-2
5. Caroline Pozo (NU) def. Zeyneb Sarioglan (MINN) 7-5, 6-1
6. Christina Hand (NU) def. Juliet Zhang (MINN) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 4,1,6,5,2,3
Doubles
1. Julie Byrne/Briana Crowley (NU) def. Rachel Hanford/Dalila Said (MINN) 6-3
2. Ekin Ercetin/Juliet Zhang (MINN) vs. Christina Hand/Clarissa Hand (NU) 3-4, unfinished
3. Hannah McColgan/Caroline Pozo (NU) def. Zeyneb Sarioglan/River Hart (MINN) 6-3
Order of finish: 1,3
The Wildcats improved to 15-2 on the season and 11-1 in conference, tied for second place with Ohio State and one game back of Michigan.
First year Maria Shusharina, ranked No. 89, picked up the headlining win of the day with a 6-2, 6-4 takedown of No. 70 Rachel Hanford at No. 1 singles. The 'Cats also saw straight set wins from Briana Crowley, Caroline Pozo and Christina Hand. Despite tough third set losses, both Julie Byrne and Clarissa Hand won a set and played competetive super-tiebreaks after the overall match had been clinched.
The doubles points was take care of early thanks to quick 6-3 victories from Byrne and Crowley at No. 1 and Hannah McColgan and Pozo at No. 3.
Northwestern continues its final stretch of the regular season with four matches to play at Wisconsin on Sunday. The match is set to start at 2 p.m.
No. 6 Northwestern (15-2, 12-1) vs Minnesota (3-9, 3-9)
Northwestern 5, Minnesota 2
Singles
1. #89 Maria Shusharina (NU) def. #70 Rachel Hanford (MINN) 6-2, 6-4
2. Ekin Ercetin (MINN) def. Julie Byrne (NU) 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (11-9)
3. Dalila Said (MINN) def. #65 Clarissa Hand (NU) 5-7, 6-3, 1-0 (10-8)
4. Briana Crowley (NU) def. River Hart (MINN) 6-1, 6-2
5. Caroline Pozo (NU) def. Zeyneb Sarioglan (MINN) 7-5, 6-1
6. Christina Hand (NU) def. Juliet Zhang (MINN) 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 4,1,6,5,2,3
Doubles
1. Julie Byrne/Briana Crowley (NU) def. Rachel Hanford/Dalila Said (MINN) 6-3
2. Ekin Ercetin/Juliet Zhang (MINN) vs. Christina Hand/Clarissa Hand (NU) 3-4, unfinished
3. Hannah McColgan/Caroline Pozo (NU) def. Zeyneb Sarioglan/River Hart (MINN) 6-3
Order of finish: 1,3