After an eventful offseason, the Northwestern women’s tennis team returned to action this weekend at the Gator Classic in Gainesville, Fla. The Wildcats, who finished last season ranked No. 5, delivered a solid performance, going 8-6 in singles matches and an impressive 6-1 in doubles play.
“I thought that for our first outing out I was pleasantly surprised,” said head coach Claire Pollard. “We’re doing some good stuff, and we’re getting some good information which will be helpful to us as things go on.”
A strong showing from senior Cristelle Grier highlighted singles play.
Grier won every set she played en route to a 3-0 record on the weekend.
Grier, No. 11 in the country, defeated Miami freshman Monika Dancevic 6-3, 6-2, Florida International junior Nikkita Fountain 6-1, 6-2, and Florida senior Boglarka Barecz 7-6 (5), 6-1 on days one, two, and three of the tournament, respectively. The Epsom, England native picked up right where she left off last season, in which she finished 38-7 and made her third-straight NCAA Championship appearance.
Her performance was an encouraging sign for the Wildcats, who are trying to fill the void left by former NCAA No. 1 Audra Cohen, who transfered to Miami (Fla.) this summer.
While Cohen, who may be out for the year after having back surgery this summer, was a vital part of Northwestern’s tremendous 2005 season, Pollard does not seem concerned with the loss of the NCAA Championship finalist.
“She’s a great player, and we’ll miss her presence on the court,” said Coach Pollard. “(But) it’s so long ago I’m over that.”
Cohen’s absence is just a part of the craziness that has come with the beginning of the tennis season.
Thanks to NCAA regulations barring summer practices and Northwestern’s late start, preparation for the fall’s first match was a rush, and it has caused the Wildcats to take more of a long-term approach.
“It’s quite a chaotic start to the season,” said Coach Pollard. “You try and cram in a preseason in a week, which is not exactly ideal. It’s such a long year, and-you’ve got to pace yourself.”
Northwestern looked in mid-season form on the doubles courts, where their 6-1 mark was accentuated by Grier and Alexis Prousis’ 8-2 upset of Florida’s top squad of Whitney Benik and Nina Suvak, the No. 18 team in the nation. The result reassured the vitality of the Northwestern doubles program, which is accustomed to success. Last year, Grier teamed with Cohen to form one of the top doubles squads in the country, together advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships.
Other winners on the doubles side included sophomores Prousis and Alexis Conill triumphing over Miami’s Dancevic and Emily Mowery 8-1, and Grier and freshman Nazlie Ghazal defeating Fountain and Desanka Jovanovic of Florida International 8-5.
In men’s action, Northwestern sent team members to the Tom Fallon Invitational at South Bend, Indiana. The Wildcats posted a 6-9 record in singles play, led by Freshman Marc Dwyer and Senior Adam Schaechterle, who both won three straight matches to finish with 3-1 records in the tournament. The NU men went 2-2 in doubles, including two wins over Big Ten rival Wisconsin.
Reach Ben Larrison at [email protected].