If the Northwestern women’s tennis team’s season comes to an end today, no one will be disappointed with the Wildcats’ third straight Sweet 16 season – except for the coaches and players, that is.
“I think we’re all getting into the frame of mind of not being satisfied and not wanting our season to end,” NU coach Claire Pollard said.
But extending its season will be a difficult task for NU (23-5), which faces No. 1 Florida in Stanford, Calif., with an Elite Eight berth at stake.
The Gators (21-1) rolled into the round of 16 with shutout victories over in-state rivals Central Florida and Miami in the first two rounds and are favored to win their first NCAA title since 1998. The Southeastern Conference champion’s only loss came April 7 to No. 3 Georgia, but Florida has rebounded with six straight victories.
The 16th-seeded Cats shared two common opponents with the Gators this year – Duke and Vanderbilt. Florida beat both of these teams, while NU dropped 5-2 decisions to each of them. Although Florida and NU breezed through their respective conferences, the SEC was much stronger than the Big Ten, featuring six teams ranked in the nation’s top 20.
Pollard said the Cats aren’t worried that the Gators’ difficult schedule puts them a step ahead of NU.
“Looking at them play, I wouldn’t say it’s such a different level,” Pollard said. “Notre Dame played a very difficult April schedule, and that didn’t help them at all. We can’t change the league we’re in. We’ve made the most out of the situation we’re in and made sure we’re confident.”
Florida is led by five-time All-American Jessica Lehnhoff at the top singles spot. The senior is ranked No. 1 in the nation in singles and has posted a 29-3 record this season. NU counters with the Big Ten Player of the Year Marine Piriou, who is currently ranked 33rd but was as high as ninth earlier in the season.
Piriou said she used her first- and second- round matches against Illinois-Chicago and Wisconsin to prepare for a potential meeting with Lehnhoff.
“You try to play as hard as you can every single point to get ready to play a player in the top 10 in the country,” Piriou said. “I just used those matches to practice a couple of technical points.”
Three other Florida players are nationally ranked – No. 18 Lindsay Dawaf, No. 53 Zerene Reyes and No. 118 Alexis Gordon – and the Gators also feature the country’s No. 3 doubles tandem in Lehnhoff and Dawaf. Pollard said winning what should be a hotly contested doubles point could be the start the Cats need to score an upset, but keeping all of the matches close will benefit NU even more.
“I think the keys are going to be giving ourselves a chance in every match and making sure that if they get off to a good start, we hang in there and try to turn it around,” Pollard said. “In a match against a heavy favorite, the closer it is the more it favors us.”
Whether or not they’re able to stun the Gators, the Cats have gained a reputation as one of the country’s top programs.
“You look at the teams here and it seems like 12 or 13 of them have been here for 20 years,” Pollard said. “This is our third year in a row, and programs are starting to recognize us.
“We’re establishing ourselves among those elite programs. The next few years, if we can give ourselves an opportunity to face a lower seed, that’s more of a key than just (today’s match).”
