Women’s Tennis
After winning all 30 doubles matches during the Big Ten regular season, No. 6 Northwestern (24-2) dropped three matches during the Big Ten tournament and lost their first doubles point to a conference opponent in their 4-1 semifinal win over Wisconsin.
While coach Claire Pollard said the team will be working on individual routines for its singles play, the main point of practice this week is to work on doubles, as the No. 5-seed Wildcats prepare to face Valparaiso (15-4) in the first round of the NCAA tournament Friday in Evanston.
“I think we need to focus on the doubles point,” Pollard said. “I think it gives us a big boost. It kind of takes the opponent out of the match.”
Cristelle Grier and Audra Cohen, the No. 6 doubles team in the country, lost matches on consecutive days during the Big Ten tournament, ending a streak of 18 wins that pushed them to the top of the national polls.
Grier said the losses resulted from improved play from their opponents, but she also said she thinks parts of the pair’s game need improvement before the tournament starts.
“We’re trying to be more cohesive at the net together,” Grier said. “We’re trying to sort of mold our two games together more.”
staying fresh
A break in the action last week proved to be the best medicine for the ailing Cats. During their first off-week in more than a month, the Cats took it relatively easy, working more on fitness than on their usual routine.
Grier said the extra fitness work should help the team stay fresh during matches.
“I think it can get us a little more tuned up,” she said. “It makes you think you can get through things you didn’t think you could get through before.”
Junior Jamie Peisel used last week to start practicing again, after being out since the beginning of April with an illness.
While sidelined, Peisel used the art of observation to keep her game intact.
“I’m actually playing better than I ever have been,” she said. “I learned a lot of things from watching and I think it really helped my game.”
Pollard said the change of pace took care of any nagging injuries her players were experiencing.
“We were able to recover a little bit,” she said. “We’re probably healthier than we have been in a long time.
short walk away
Valparaiso, Ind., the home of the Cats’ first-round opponent, is about 70 miles away from Evanston.
The campuses of Iowa and Notre Dame, NU’s possible second-round matchups, are even farther.
With this in mind, the Cats said they feel the relatively short walk to the Vandy Christie Tennis Center is a definite advantage for them in the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament.
Grier said the rigors of the road can affect a player physically and emotionally, something nobody needs on the eve of a major competition.
“It’s good to be sleeping in your own bed, eating your own food,” Grier said.
With the home-court aspect handled, the main problem for the Cats could be looking ahead to the Sweet 16 in Athens, Ga., before taking care of business at home.
“We’re just treating every match the same,” Peisel said. “You’re really against yourself.”
Reach David Morrison at [email protected].
