Northwestern’s Cristelle Grier picked up steam in her quest for the NCAA singles title Wednesday with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Tennessee’s Tammy Encina in the Sweet 16 at the Ring Tennis Complex in Gainesville, Fla.
Grier, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, said she was well-prepared for the match and felt more comfortable on the court than in her previous two matches in the NCAA Championships.
“As each match has progressed, I’ve been able to find that right level a little bit easier,” Grier said.
Grier’s victory against Encina was her most dominant and the shortest of the freshman’s three victories in the tournament. Grier lost only two games and defeated Encina in a little more than an hour.
NU coach Claire Pollard called the match “clean and businesslike,” and said Grier is looking better each match.
“When you look at the scores, you see the cream really rose to the top today, ” Pollard said. “Those (players) who won today were all at a different level than their opponents.”
Grier, ranked No. 9 in the country, said the only real challenge No. 59 Encina made was in the second set when the Tennessee junior won her first game after losing eight in a row. Grier said Encina showed improved range on her forehand and impressive determination until Grier took control in the second set. With the score 3-2 in the second frame, Grier won three straight games to slam the door on Encina.
Next up for Grier is the round of eight, where she will face Southern California’s Jewel Peterson, ranked No. 10 nationally and seeded No. 8 in the tournament.
Grier beat then-No. 3 Peterson 6-4, 6-1 on Feb. 6 and said she expects to have another tough competition with the Southern California senior. Grier, who described Peterson’s style of hitting as “hard, hard, and harder,” said she would attempt to play Peterson the same way she did earlier in the season.
“(Peterson) has been ranked near the top of the country for a few years so she might present some difficulty,” Grier said. “I will be doing the same thing I did last time and see if she can come up with an answer to that.”
