Make sure the logo on the throat of the racket is facing up. Don’t step on the lines. Before serving, bounce the ball an even number of times.

Only after going through this routine can No. 4 Audra Cohen play each point.

Cohen said she believes these habits are crucial to her success.

“I literally live by them,” she said. “It’s important to have a set routine before you play.”

Although every player on No. 2 Northwestern (20-2, 9-0 Big Ten) has unique strengths and weaknesses, each shares a reliance on rituals to keep herself focused on the match.

“Tennis is all about routines,” Cohen said. “Even the best players in the world do the same thing before every point.”

Coach Claire Pollard said her players use these tactics to present an on-court persona. She said Cohen has a “fighting image” and No. 20 Cristelle Grier has a “professional look” on the court.

Grier said she uses her even temperament to appear calm, even in times of panic.

“I’m going to present a strong front whether I’m up or down or even,” she said. “When you see your opponent kind of losing it, it gives you an upper hand mentally.”

Valerie Vladea uses a relentless playing style, supplemented by superstitions she prefers not to name, to get ahead of opponents and not let them back into matches.

When returning serves, Vladea will be in almost constant motion between points, a tactic she said helps her concentrate and, in pressure situations, relax.

“Once she gets on a roll,” Pollard said, “She’s coming at you not only with her game but how she presents herself.”

This attitude is a reason why she has dropped only six games in the last four matches.

“I play to win and work on what got me up in the first place,” she said.

The Wildcats’ habits also extend to doubles play.

No. 1 Grier and Cohen, who have won 16 straight matches, slap hands twice between each point, once before a brief conference near the service line and once after.

“It shows that you’re playing together in a doubles match,” Grier said, “rather than two singles players on a doubles court.”

A by-product of this strict adherence to routine is a heightened sense of the tendencies of opponents.

Cohen said she can sometimes tell where her opponent will hit a shot before she even moves her racket.

“Sometimes girls will look where they’re going to serve before they serve,” she said. “They’re readable in their locations.”

With their mental game intact, the Cats have fallen into another routine that might be the most threatening to their opponents: winning.

Reach David Morrison at [email protected].