At the beginning of the season, the sky was the limit for the Northwestern women’s tennis team. After winning four straight conference titles, the Wildcats were ranked No. 12 in preseason polls and had a talented roster that included prized recruit Cristelle Grier and 2002 Big Ten Player of the Year Marine Piriou.
On paper, the Cats were primed for success and had a realistic shot of achieving coach Claire Pollard’s goal of bringing the NCAA title to Evanston.
But unforseen and unavoidable circumstances caused NU to lose three key players and end the season with a loss to Kansas State in the NCAA Regional tournament.
The year was one of frustration for NU, overcoming the loss of Piriou in January only to find out right before the most important tournament of the year that they would be without the services of Grier and junior Ruth Barnes.
The Cats responded well to the loss of last year’s No. 1 player, Piriou, and went 18-9 in the regular season. NU was led by freshman phenom Grier, who went 25-0 in dual match play.
Despite losing to Ohio State and Minnesota — NU’s first Big Ten losses in almost three years — the Cats finished the season strong and overpowered their foes in the conference tournament to capture their fifth straight Big Ten title. NU headed into the NCAA tournament with momentum and high hopes.
Then disaster struck.
Three days before the Cats’ opening match with Kansas State, NU athletic officials were notified by the NCAA that Grier and Barnes were ineligible due to the NCAA’s differing interpretation of the players’ graduation dates.
Not wanting to jeopardize the players’ permanent eligibility, Pollard kept Grier and Barnes out of the match. Without the players, NU’s championship hopes were dashed with a 4-1 loss to Kansas State.
“We prepared for it as best we could, and then at the final hurdle it got stripped away from us,” Grier said.
After her “most difficult” season was cut short, Pollard said she was proud of what her team accomplished this year and didn’t worry over what might have been.
“I don’t torture myself,” Pollard said. “There’s nothing really to learn from it. It’s not as if we’d done this or done that, it would have been different. It’s just one of those things that sucks in life and you move on.”
Despite the team’s disappointing finish, Pollard said there were many positive aspects to a season in which her team faced more adversity off the court than on.
Grier, who won an appeal and was deemed eligible to compete in the NCAA singles tournament, advanced to the Elite Eight — further than any woman in NU history — and set a school records with an undefeated 25-win dual season.
In addition, Pollard said she was proud of the contributions of players forced to play higher in the lineup because of Piriou’s absence. Junior Jessica Rush, ranked No. 75 in the nation, went 19-5 at the No. 2 position, exceeding Pollard’s expectations.
Looking ahead to next season, Pollard predicted that the Cats will be even stronger — barring any unfortunate circumstances.
NU will retain all of this year’s starters and add top recruit Alexis Prousis of Lake Forest. For now, Pollard said she will take a break to unwind after the stressful season and then resume practice with the NU players who remain in Evanston over the summer.
“I’m hoping that after the season we keep a bitter taste in our mouths and remember that next year at this time,” Pollard said. “Maybe we can show some people what should have been seen this year.”
But even after the most trying of her five years at NU, Pollard was able to see things in their proper perspective.
“How stressful can life be when you’re the tennis coach at NU?” Pollard laughed. “I’ve got great kids around me that are working hard every day. I think stress is what you make of it. I’m not unemployed with five kids. That’s when I would worry about my life.”
