Men’s Tennis
Northwestern learned the value of patience this weekend.
The Wildcats had to wait through several rain delays before finally having their Big Ten quarterfinal match against Indiana moved indoors, where they battled for a thrilling 4-3 victory.
“It was the most exciting match this year,” Torricelli said. “It was like a four-hour rollercoaster ride.
“We had so many delays that we had several opportunities to meet and talk as a team. I felt like a basketball coach who kept calling timeouts.”
NU (12-12, 7-5 Big Ten) won four of the six singles matches, including three in three sets.
The team then advanced to the semifinals, where it lost 4-0 to No. 5 Illinois in Champaign, Ill.
The Illini (23-3, 11-0) went on to win the Big Ten championship on their home court. They have won nine of the last 10 conference titles.
Although they failed to win a single match against Illinois, the Cats’ victory against Indiana (12-11, 6-4) places them firmly on the bubble for the NCAA tournament.
Nearly mirroring the March Madness setup for basketball, 64 teams are selected to compete in the NCAA tournament based on several criteria, including strength of schedule, quality wins and end-of-season finish.
To help its cause, NU boasts upset wins over then-No. 18 North Carolina and then-No. 24 Ohio State.
“We fought hard down the stretch and put ourselves in a good position to make it,” senior Chuck Perrin said. “We are trying not to jinx ourselves because we didn’t get in last year.”
The Cats, ranked No. 46 in the nation by the May 2 Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll, were not selected to the NCAAs last year when ranked No. 41.
Recently, the future has been looking bright for the Cats, who started the season with a dismal 6-10 record before winning six of their last seven matches.
But then they had to face the Illini, who have not lost a Big Ten match since 2001.
After dropping the doubles point to Illinois, NU failed to win any singles matches, sending the Illini to their 10th-consecutive appearance in the Big Ten championship match.
“The match was a lot closer than the score indicates,” coach Paul Torricelli said. “Although we were tired from the day before, Illinois was just too good for us. They just outplayed us.”
The Cats faired much better on Friday, defeating Indiana 4-3 in the quarterfinals via four singles wins and a rain delay.
Following doubles play, rain forced the singles matches indoors, an advantage that Torricelli said he was hoping for.
Torricelli said he was excited to have several chances to speak with the entire team at once, a rare opportunity that does not normally occur during matches.
The Cats also have played a majority of their matches indoors this season, including their wins over North Carolina and Ohio State.
Once play resumed indoors, sophomores Christian Tempke, Willy Lock and Matt Christian won at the No. 2, 4 and 5 positions.
Senior Tommy Hanus, who entered his match against Indiana’s Jakub Praibis ranked No. 91 in the nation, defeated the heavily favored, No. 55-ranked Praibis in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2.
“It was a great upset, and really, Tommy has been doing that for us all year,” Torricelli said. “He has carried us on his back for three and a half years and he has never had an easy match at No. 1. And not once has he complained.”
Hanus’ selfless effort was recognized Friday by the Big Ten coaches as they selected him and Tempke to the All-Conference team. This is the first time two NU players have been named to the All-Conference squad since 1997.
“You know, it doesn’t feel too bad,” said Hanus, the 2001 Big Ten Freshman of the Year. “This is the first time for me and it’s quite an honor.”
Aside from personal accomplishments, the team will now have to play the waiting game once again.
The future of the Cats’ season will be determined Thursday by the NCAA selection committee.
Although the Cats were the highest ranked team not to make the NCAAs last year, Torricelli said the team is trying to stay optimistic.
But Torricelli said neither he nor the team will be watching the NCAA selection show.
“I’m trying not to think that my season is over,” Perrin said. “I’m just mentally assuming we are going make it so I can get out there and go back to work.”
Reach Steve Silver at [email protected].
Friday
NU 4
Indiana 3
Saturday
NU 0
Illinois 4
