Orange windows, two Jimmy Johns restaurants per capita and the biggest billboard ad for a Hooters you’ll ever see while entering a city. That’s what you get at the end of a trip down I-57 that leaves you hypnotized by endless rows of corn.
Although Champaign, Ill., isn’t exactly the most glamorous place, for this weekend, the town will represent the 90-plus-day journey each of the 11 Big Ten teams have made up to this point.
And for Northwestern senior Cristelle Grier, the trip will be a familiar one.
“I hope the freshmen get to have that excitement that I had four years ago,” Grier said. “When I was freshman, it was such a rush to win that fifth one for Northwestern. I can’t wait to experience that same excitement and carry on the team’s legacy. That’s really the incentive.”
No. 11 NU (17-4, 10-0) enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed and will have a bye Thursday while the lower seeds duke it out for a spot in the quarterfinals.
“We’ll probably just be practicing and getting used to the courts and atmosphere and climate on Thursday, ” Grier said. “It’s always different in a tournament, rather than playing a dual match, and getting yourself mentally prepared, getting away from the distractions often here at Northwestern is important.”
After a day to themselves, the Cats will take on either eighth-seeded Penn State or ninth-seeded Minnesota at 10 a.m. Friday.
As the No. 1 seed, NU’s journey to the conference finale has appropriately been the most fruitful in terms of season wins and losses, and NU’s road to the Big Ten tourney has been that way for more than half a dozen years.
Only six Big Ten matches have slipped through NU’s fingers since its first championship victory eight years ago.
One of those times was against No. 5-seed Purdue in 1998. The Boilermakers’ victory was their only win against NU since Purdue started its program.
It was hailed as Purdue’s greatest achievement in its history.
Just a few weeks ago when Illinois sophomore MaCall Harkins bested Grier, a player who has dominated Big Ten tennis for the last four years, the upset caused headlines in the Big Ten and sent shockwaves through the world of collegiate tennis.
So it’s no surprise that the sentiment leans towards NU continuing its dynasty.
But coming in second or third to the same team year after year is a perfect environment for harboring frustration and anger can often make for some very motivational fuel.
“It’s always harder to win when you’re expected to win,” Grier said. “I think some people take it for granted that we’re consistently on the top and don’t realize we have to earn it every time. But if we can pull it off on Sunday, I think that will really set a tone for regionals.”
Last year Grier went beyond the Big Ten to the NCAA semifinals in doubles with former teammate Audra Cohen. Grier hopes to make the same push this year but said she is staying focused on this weekend for now.
“We’ve proved in the regular season that we’re very capable of doing it again,” Grier said. “We’ve played everyone, so everyone knows how we play and that we know what we’re doing.”
Although the stage is set in Champaign for yet another NU victory, there is still a chance that another Michigan-like team will upset the predictions and make it to the final for a chance to overthrow the Cats.
“I know Michigan, Iowa and probably Indiana were the three teams that were the best in the regular season,” Grier said. “I know they battled in the regular season, and all of those teams have a really deep lineup. If one of them steps up and has the best game of their lives, then we could be really in trouble.”
Whether an underdog rises up out of the bracket or all three of those teams get ousted before the semifinals Saturday, NU will likely be the team to beat.
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