The Northwestern women’s tennis team does not know the meaning of an offseason.
The No. 16 Wildcats (15-4, 5-2 Big Ten) begin during New Student Week in the fall and play until the end of May.
In September, the team does a combination of practicing, conditioning and weight training. The Cats lighten up the conditioning drills by incorporating periodic games of soccer and field hockey. And they file into the weight room to endure intense strength sessions three times a week.
NU was also on the move, travelling to Columbus, Ohio, Tallahassee, Fla., and Los Angeles to compete in national tournaments.
When the temperature dropped, NU moved indoors, but maintained conditioning and weight room exercises. They traveled throughout January and February with trips south to Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Dallas and return trips to the Midwest to compete in the United States Tennis Association Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis.
NU wasn’t facing cupcake teams either, instead taking on top-ranked opponents such as No. 12 Duke, No. 13 Notre Dame, No. 15 Mississippi and No. 20 South Carolina.
Four matches remain before the Big Ten and NCAA Championships conclude the college season at the end of May, so it is understandable if the Cats might be tired at this point in the season.
NU coach Claire Pollard tries to counteract the rigorous schedule by giving the team an extra day of rest Tuesday.
“The idea is to keep the enthusiasm fresh,” Pollard said. “At this point of the season, less is often more.”
20-GAME WINNERS: Eleven players in the Big Ten have reached the 20-win plateau with NU leading the way. Four players are already there and two more are closing in.
No. 4 Lia Jackson paces the team with a 29-5 record and needs only two more wins to tie No. 2 Shannon Duffy’s school record of 31 wins set two years ago. Marine Piriou has been stuck on 28 wins for a few games due to a recent bout with mononucleosis. No. 1 Katherine Nasser and No. 3 Colleen Cheng each have 25 wins.
Duffy and No. 5 Jennifer Lutgert need a strong finish to ensure 20 wins. Duffy has a 7-0 record in Big Ten action with 17 wins overall. Lutgert has shuttled back and forth between No. 5 and No. 6 singles and currently has 16 wins.
Pollard sees the high win totals as evidence of talented individuals playing within the team’s framework.
“It shows me what a great team I have,” Pollard said. “We proved that we are a legitimate top-15 team, and at full strength no one in the Big Ten would want to play us.”
BASH WEDNESDAY: “Fun Wednesdays” have become a tennis ritual as the team undergoes an unusual set of drills and games to keep the atmosphere light.
Sometimes the Cats play 5-on-5 tennis or force a teammate to play while hopping on one foot.
Another activity is playing a doubles match with only one racket per team.
And before weekend matches, Cheng brings out a football for a traditional game of hot potato.
“Practices is when you get good for matches,” Cheng said. “But we try to have some fun.”
