Twice on consecutive days the Northwestern women’s tennis team gathered to watch freshman Jessica Rush play a tense third set.
On Saturday Rush couldn’t convert on two match points in the second set and fell to North Carolina’s Lee Bairos 6-1, 6-7, 4-6. The No. 15 Wildcats went down with her, losing 4-3 at the Johnson Tennis Center in Evanston.
But Sunday Rush came out on top, winning 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (7-1). The Cats also were victorious, defeating No. 45 Alabama 6-1.
“It’s nice to come back and show you can win a close third set,” Rush said after her victory. “It definitely makes you feel good.”
The Cats (5-1) needed a good feeling Sunday after their loss to No. 28 North Carolina (5-0) – the breaks just didn’t go NU’s way against the Tar Heels.
In addition to Rush’s two missed match points, the doubles team of junior Lia Jackson and junior Simona Petrutiu relinquished a 7-4 lead and lost 7-9 to the Tar Heels’ Erin Niebling and Cathy Zalinski. The loss gave North Carolina the doubles point for winning two of the three doubles matches.
“We should have won the doubles point,” Jackson said. “We didn’t execute. I was serving for the match and didn’t hold serve.”
After losing the doubles point, the Cats dug themselves into a 3-0 hole. No. 1 Jackson lost to Marlene Mejia 6-2, 6-4; No. 2 Colleen Cheng fell in a close match against Kate Pinchbeck, losing 6-2, 2-6, 6-7 (7-1).
Junior Shannon Duffy, sophomore Marine Piriou and Petrutiu all won to tie the match at 3-3 before Rush’s loss.
Despite the Cats’ missed opportunities Saturday, they were able to pull everything together and dominate Alabama (7-1).
“It speaks volumes for the character of our team,” coach Claire Pollard said. “We didn’t feel sorry for ourselves. Saturday was one of those days when nothing went right.”
Nothing went the Cats’ way Saturday. But Sunday was the exact opposite.
Of the four matches that stretched to three sets, NU won three, including Jackson’s 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 comeback victory.
“I thought about just playing tennis,” Jackson said. “I was thinking way too much in the first set.”
Jackson’s victory put the Cats ahead 3-1. Piriou then put the Crimson Tide away with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Weyli Chang.
With the ITA Team Indoor tourney starting Thursday in Madison, Wis., NU’s win over Alabama was an important confidence-builder.
At last year’s invitational, the Cats launched their season with upsets of No. 5 Mississippi and No. 14 South Carolina.
This season they are thirsting for another successful outing.
“We have to make sure we want it as bad as we did last year,” Cheng said.
