No. 4, No. 7, No. 9, No. 4 and No. 10.
These are the rankings of the Northwestern women’s tennis team’s last five opponents – all of whom NU played on the road.
So the No. 12 Wildcats (5-4) couldn’t be more happy to have unranked Marquette on the slate today in Evanston.
“It’s definitely a relief to come home,” junior Marine Piriou said. “I prefer it because there are just a lot of things that are advantageous to us.”
Although the Cats converted just two of their five upset opportunities, NU head coach Claire Pollard pointed out that the Cats were in position to win each of the matches.
“We’ve shown we can play at the very highest level,” Pollard said. “With the young team we have, I think we’re playing great.”
After taking on the nation’s elite for two weekends on the road, hosting Marquette (1-7) is a welcome respite for the Cats. The Golden Eagles have lost seven straight matches.
“We just played five brutal matches,” Pollard said. “It’s nice to play a team that isn’t as good, and I’m really looking forward to being home again.”
The Cats have yet to lose at the brand new Combe Tennis Center, topping all three teams that have challenged them on their home court.
Overall, however, it hasn’t exactly been an easy nonconference schedule for the Cats – seven of their first nine opponents were ranked.
But the team is banking on the old Protestant ethic of postponing present gain for future pleasure.
The Cats regularly start two freshmen and three sophomores, so Pollard believes that the early challenges will pay off in the long run.
“We’re not at all affected by the losing,” Pollard said. “We just need to make sure that we sustain the high level of play that we’ve had in the last few matches.”
For senior Simona Petrutiu, the level of play is outstandingly high. The native of Romania has come through in the clutch for NU, winning her last seven singles matches in the No. 5 spot.
Fighting back from an arm injury and losses in her first two matches this season, Petrutiu has also contributed significantly in doubles play.
After starting the season paired with sophomore Jessica Rush, she is now playing with fellow senior Lia Jackson in the No. 2 doubles spot. Rush and Jackson have gone 4-2, including victories in matches against then-No. 4 Vanderbilt and No. 10 North Carolina.
Marquette is NU’s last opponent before the Big Ten opener against Michigan this weekend.
For now, the Cats firmly believe that they are among the nation’s premier teams.
“We’re No. 12 in the country, not No. 112,” Pollard said. “We’ve been playing nothing but top-10 teams lately, and we’re feeling really good about ourselves.”