Two successful weekend matches and one plane delay later, the Northwestern women’s tennis team finally begins the last leg of its spring season at the NCAA Championship in Stanford, Calif.
The team practiced for two hours Wednesday morning but enjoyed the rest of the day off in sunny northern California.
“Some girls did putt-putt or laid by the pool,” junior Alexis Prousis said. “I had to write a paper, but it was nice to have the day off.”
This past weekend, the No. 9 Wildcats (21-4) rolled by both Illinois-Chicago and Purdue at home for a spot in the Sweet 16 against No. 12 Georgia Tech (21-5).
The sixth-seeded Yellow Jackets beat Southeastern Louisiana (22-3), 4-0, last Friday and knocked down Penn 4-0 on Saturday for a chance to take on NU in the round of 16.
Today’s match will be the second time the Cats take on the Yellow Jackets. The two teams met in early March for a regular season match in Atlanta, where the Cats beat the Yellow Jackets 4-3.
“I remember it was a really intense match,” Prousis said. “It was a whole team effort and it was a really exciting match. Tomorrow we’re just going to be more excited to play them.”
For four of the last five years, the NCAA team championship title has remained in the hands of No. 1 Stanford (24-0). The defending champion came in as runner-up to Florida in 2003 but won the title in both 2001 and 2002.
This year No. 1 Stanford sits in a familiar place – as the No. 1 seed for the championship. If the team lives up to its spot in the bracket, this year’s win will make three in a row for the Cardinal women.
In the first two rounds Stanford swept both Quinnipiac (11-10) and Arizona (12-11), and in the round of 16, Stanford is scheduled to take on No. 20 TCU (21-6).
TCU had to overcome both Texas (17-0) and Rice (13-12) for a chance to out-do the nation’s top team.
This year also marks the first time the men’s and women’s NCAA Championship will be held at the same venue. There will be two sites using 12 courts throughout the tournament. Both championships will begin with the round of 16 at Taube Stadium.
“The event should be pretty on schedule,” Prousis said. “I think it’ll be really exciting to have both events there. I love watching men’s tennis. They’re just so animated when they play, and their game style is a lot of fun to watch. I’m going to really enjoy watching as much as playing.”
If NU tops Georgia Tech, it will be the first time the Cats have advanced beyond the Sweet 16 under coach Claire Pollard.
“Our goal is to get to the quarters,” Prousis said, “so that makes us want to win even more. I don’t think we’ve ever made it past the Sweet 16, so that’s the goal for this year. We’re not going to feel pressured by that, but it’s another incentive.”
Last year, NU’s push for the NCAA championship title ended in the Sweet 16 when the Cats fell to 12th-seeded Clemson 4-3 in Atlanta.
Regardless of today’s outcome, senior Cristelle Grier, Prousis and freshman Georgia Rose will remain in California to compete in the singles competition, which will begin May 23. Prousis and Grier also will play in the doubles competition.
Reach Diane Yamazaki at [email protected].
