WOMEN’S TENNIS

No. 1-seed Stanford has won three of the last four national championships.

No. 4-seed Vanderbilt reached the semifinals last year and the quarterfinals the year before, losing to the eventual champion both times.

So why does No. 5-seed Northwestern (26-2), a team that has never advanced past the third round of the NCAA tournament, believe it can contend with these national powers, who also happen to be in its half of the bracket?

“We know we have a stronger team than we’ve had before,” junior Cristelle Grier said. “We’ve never made it past the round of 16, so there’s that first hurdle to get across.”

The Wildcats are looking to clear this hurdle against 12th-seed Clemson (19-8) on Thursday in Athens, Ga. This will be the Cats’ fifth shot at advancing to the national quarterfinals in coach Claire Pollard’s seven years in Evanston.

Pollard said this year’s expectations are loftier than at any other time during her tenure at NU.

“We’re just a more confident team,” she said. “In the past, we’ve looked at this as a destination. Now, we’re looking at this as just a beginning.”

A win over Clemson puts the Cats on a collision course with Vanderbilt (22-5) in the quarterfinals Friday and Stanford (23-0) in the semifinals Saturday.

Pollard said she doesn’t think the Cats have reached the same level as their more renowned counterparts when it comes to national prestige. But the program has made great strides since she took over in the 1998-1999 season.

“We haven’t won as many national championships as Stanford or (No. 2 seed) Florida,” Pollard said. “But I think we have everyone’s attention and respect.”

NU asserted itself in February when it beat Duke, which dispatched the Cats from last year’s tournament. Just two weeks earlier, NU defeated Kentucky, the No. 3 seed in this year’s tournament and a possible opponent in the finals Sunday.

Grier said the Cats’ reputation among their peers has improved in her three years at NU.

“They’ve always recognized that we’re a team that will carry on fighting to the bitter end,” she said. “They’re just starting to really notice. Before, we were in the back of their minds.”

The Cats’ improved reputation has been helped by a marked improvement in the team’s play. Under Pollard, NU has compiled a 161-37 record and won seven consecutive Big Ten titles.

Audra Cohen — the Big Ten Freshman and Athlete of the Year — said she believes the Cats project anything but an inferior image in the eyes of their more established rivals.

“They see our practice and think we have a lot more fun than they do while working just as hard,” she said. “We’re already pretty much on that level. They’re obviously thinking, ‘That’s a pretty solid team.'”

After a season with only two losses against elite competition — California and Georgia, both still in the tournament — the Cats have done everything they can to solidify their role as a national power.

Well, almost everything.

“The first thing we’re going to try and do is win this tournament,” Pollard said. “I think that would get everyone’s attention.”

Reach David Morrison at [email protected].