With the weight of the No. 39 Northwestern men’s tennis team’s three-match losing streak resting on his shoulders, senior captain Joost Hol proved Sunday that it helps to have three years of experience when caught in tight spots.
After both No. 73 Wisconsin and NU had won three points, Hol found himself in the deciding set of the afternoon. If he lost, the Wildcats would go home nursing a quadruple-match slump – but Hol wouldn’t let that happen.
“I knew in the back of my head that if we lost to Wisconsin, our NCAA chances would be ruined,” he said.
Thanks to Hol, the Cats’ are still looking forward to the national championships next month. The senior clinched a 4-3 NU victory in the No. 4 singles spot after coming back from a one-set deficit, downing Badgers sophomore Scott Green 2-6, 6-4, 6-3. Usually playing at No. 6 this season, the victory was particularly sweet for Hol.
“I’ve been in these situations before – three times in my freshman year and a couple other times in other seasons – and fortunately, won all those times,” he said. “I just stayed focused and didn’t get nervous.”
NU head coach Paul Torricelli switched his usual lineup in an effort to get the team out of its slump. Hol often played in the No. 3 spot last season after competing at No. 1 and No. 2 his freshman and sophomore years, but he had played lower this year because of an injury. But on the court Sunday afternoon, it was evident that Hol was enjoying the pressure of the match and the tough competition provided by Green.
“I think that Joost actually wanted to be the last one out there,” NU freshman Tommy Hanus said. “He wanted to do some damage at No. 4 singles, and he definitely did.”
The Cats began the day poorly, losing the doubles point 2-1. In singles, senior Jamie Sahara beat Wisconsin sophomore David Hippee 6-3, 6-4 at No. 3, junior Josh Axler defeated Alex Kasarov 7-6, 6-4 at No. 5, and in the No. 6 spot, freshman Chuck Perrin topped Justin Baker 6-3, 6-2.
Although Sunday was a banner day for the Cats, they split the weekend matches. The Cats were shut out 7-0 by No. 23 Minnesota in Bloomington, Minn., on Friday night. But with its record of 12-7 (5-3 Big Ten), NU remains high in the conference standings, trailing only the Golden Gophers and the undefeateds, Illinois and Ohio State. After the matches with NU, Wisconsin drops to 8-10 (2-6 Big Ten) and Minnesota moved to 12-6 (5-3).
“We needed this win (against Wisconsin),” Hanus said. “A lot of players have struggled lately and we had to get out of that slump.”
Sunday’s win also showed that the Cats can be effective on outdoor courts. Since it is a team used to indoor conditions, the win outside signifies NU’s established comfort with nature’s elements, particularly for the underclassmen.
The experienced Hol has been the fallback guy before, and Sunday’s match just added one more victory to the list of times he’s been on top of his game when the Cats needed him most.
“I knew I could do it,” Hol said. “I just had to get back to the basics.”
