In 2001, the announcement of the NCAA championship brackets didn’t carry much suspense for the Northwestern women’s tennis team. As the No. 9 team in the nation, the Wildcats were practically certain they would host a four-team regional.
This season, 13 players and coaches gathered in a cramped office at Combe Tennis Center, eyes fixed on a small Dell computer screen slowly revealing the brackets. After five silent minutes, a cheer went up among the crowd as NU learned its journey through the NCAA tournament would begin in Evanston.
“Up until six o’clock, we really didn’t know for sure whether we would get it,” junior Marine Piriou said.
The 16th-seeded Cats will meet Illinois-Chicago in the first round May 11, with the winner facing either Wisconsin or Notre Dame the next day.
NU, fresh off a fourth straight Big Ten championship, heads into the tournament on a 10-match winning streak dating back to a Spring Break trip to California. The Cats (21-5) have won 16 of their last 17 after dropping a pair to Duke and North Carolina in February.
Head coach Claire Pollard said NU’s tough nonconference schedule and strong finish were the most important factors in its selection as a host.
“Our late-season play definitely helped us,” Pollard said. “We also beat USC indoors and beat a good Fresno State team.”
The advantages of playing at home are certainly not lost on Pollard or the NU players.
“I think the biggest factor will be if we can get a great crowd out like we did last year,” Pollard said. “Having to travel can help or hurt you, but a good crowd will really help us.”
Big Ten Player of the Year Piriou said the Cats’ familiarity with the courts at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center will also help them.
“We practice every day on those courts, so we know the surfaces,” Piriou said. “And it’s pretty windy here, so playing here and being used to it will help us stay under control.”
The Cats met Illinois-Chicago in the first round last year as well, winning easily 4-0 en route to a Sweet 16 appearance. The Cats beat both Notre Dame and Wisconsin earlier this year and defeated the Badgers a second time on Sunday in the conference title match.
Piriou said already having victories under their belts against the other two teams in their region should give the Cats another advantage.
“Psychologically, it helps because we have confidence after beating them,” Piriou said. “But we still have to be prepared because it could be a totally different match. It’s the NCAA championships, so they have nothing to lose.”
Pollard said although this year’s tournament should be wide open, NU will have a difficult match against No. 1 Florida should it advance to the Sweet 16.
“It’ll be a tall order because we have to play the No. 1 seed, where last year we were a higher seed so we didn’t have to,” Pollard said. “From that standpoint it’ll be harder, but anything can happen.”
