NASHVILLE – Northwestern swept Middle Tennessee 7-0 on Saturday afternoon in Murfreesboro, Tenn., to improve to a 5-0 record before dropping its first match of the season to No. 12 Vanderbilt on Sunday.
The Wildcats' (5-1) five match winning streak marked their best start to a season since 2010. The match against the Blue Raiders (1-3) began with dominant doubles play from Northwestern, as sophomore Maia Loureiro and first-year Marelie Raath continued their undefeated season as a doubles pairing with a 6-1 win at No. 3. Junior Neena Feldman and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman secured the doubles point with a 6-2 victory at No. 1.
To open singles play, No. 5 Raath recorded a 6-0, 6-0 win, registering the first double-bagel by a Northwestern player this season. With the result, she moved to a perfect 5-0 singles record.
Feldman, playing at the No. 2 position, gave the Wildcats a 3-0 advantage with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph, and Dagan Fruchtman clinched the match for Northwestern at No. 4 with a 6-3, 6-3 decision after winning the final three games of the match. Dagan Fruchtman's previous three victories on the season came at the No. 5 position.
The positive results continued to secure the Wildcats' sweep. First-year Margot Phanthala, the team's No. 1 and ITA's No. 39-ranked player, logged a 6-3, 6-2 win, with junior Autumn Rabjohns prevailing 6-4, 6-3 shortly after at the No. 3 position. Playing at No. 6, sophomore Erica Jessel guaranteed that every Northwestern player would win in straight sets with her 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3) scoreline.
In Sunday's 6-0 defeat to the Commodores (5-0), No. 3 Rabjohns had the ITA's No. 33-ranked player Bridget Stammel on the brink of defeat after taking the first set 6-3. Rabjohns fell 6-3 in the second set and 10-7 in the match tiebreak. No. 1 Phanthala also came close to victory against Célia-Belle Mohr — a runner-up in the reigning NCAA Doubles Championship — after taking the second set 6-4 to force a match tiebreak, but suffered a 10-6 defeat there.
The Wildcats return home to host the ITA National Team Indoor Championships from Feb. 6-10. Northwestern's schedule will be announced at a later date.
The Wildcats' (5-1) five match winning streak marked their best start to a season since 2010. The match against the Blue Raiders (1-3) began with dominant doubles play from Northwestern, as sophomore Maia Loureiro and first-year Marelie Raath continued their undefeated season as a doubles pairing with a 6-1 win at No. 3. Junior Neena Feldman and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman secured the doubles point with a 6-2 victory at No. 1.
To open singles play, No. 5 Raath recorded a 6-0, 6-0 win, registering the first double-bagel by a Northwestern player this season. With the result, she moved to a perfect 5-0 singles record.
Feldman, playing at the No. 2 position, gave the Wildcats a 3-0 advantage with a 6-2, 6-1 triumph, and Dagan Fruchtman clinched the match for Northwestern at No. 4 with a 6-3, 6-3 decision after winning the final three games of the match. Dagan Fruchtman's previous three victories on the season came at the No. 5 position.
The positive results continued to secure the Wildcats' sweep. First-year Margot Phanthala, the team's No. 1 and ITA's No. 39-ranked player, logged a 6-3, 6-2 win, with junior Autumn Rabjohns prevailing 6-4, 6-3 shortly after at the No. 3 position. Playing at No. 6, sophomore Erica Jessel guaranteed that every Northwestern player would win in straight sets with her 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-3) scoreline.
In Sunday's 6-0 defeat to the Commodores (5-0), No. 3 Rabjohns had the ITA's No. 33-ranked player Bridget Stammel on the brink of defeat after taking the first set 6-3. Rabjohns fell 6-3 in the second set and 10-7 in the match tiebreak. No. 1 Phanthala also came close to victory against Célia-Belle Mohr — a runner-up in the reigning NCAA Doubles Championship — after taking the second set 6-4 to force a match tiebreak, but suffered a 10-6 defeat there.
The Wildcats return home to host the ITA National Team Indoor Championships from Feb. 6-10. Northwestern's schedule will be announced at a later date.