By Jake SimpsonThe Daily Northwestern
No. 8 Northwestern proved it could compete with the nation’s top teams, knocking off two top-15 opponents before falling in the semifinals of the National Indoor Championships in Madison, Wisc.
The Cats (4-1) came into the tournament riding high after beating No. 10 Duke and rode that momentum to a convincing win over UCLA in the first round. NU cruised to a 5-2 victory over the fourteenth-ranked Bruins, taking the early doubles point and never looking back.
Sophomore sensation Georgia Rose once again led the team. Rose teamed with senior Alexis Prousis for a doubles victory and dismantled another highly ranked opponent – in this case, No. 35 Riza Zalameda, 6-1, 6-0.
NU’s freshmen also contributed to the victory, as Samantha Murray and Lauren Lui both came back to win after dropping the first set. Murray beat No. 28 Yasmin Schnack 3-6, 6-2, 6-2, while Lui downed No. 40 Ashley Joelson, 5-7, 6-2, 6-3.
On Friday the Cats took on No. 5 Miami, their toughest opponent to date. Northwestern came into the quarterfinal match with extra motivation; the Hurricanes’ star player, national No. 1 Audra Cohen, transferred from NU after the 2004-05 season. For the fourth time in as many duals, the Cats took the doubles behind Prousis and Rose’s 9-7 upset of the No. 6 tandem of Romy Farah and Audrey Banada.
In singles, the ‘Canes fought back, winning three of the first five matches to tie it up, 3-3. Rose suffered her first loss in a dual match this season, falling to Cohen 7-6, 6-2.
The dual came down to the No. 6 singles match between sophomore Nazlie Ghazal and Miami’s Gina Sabatino. Down a set, Ghazal came up with her best tennis when the Cats needed it most, roaring back for a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory that gave NU the dual 4-3.
The Cats’ reward for the inspiring upset was an even stronger opponent, No. 4 Notre Dame, in Saturday’s semifinal. For the first time all season, Northwestern lost the doubles point, losing 8-5 and 9-7 nail-biters to cede the early lead to the Fighting Irish.
While NU rallied behind singles wins from Rose, Prousis, and Murray, the team could not overcome the loss in doubles. Once again, the dual came down to Ghazal’s match, but this time she fell to Notre Dame’s Katie Potts, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-0).
Despite the disappointing loss, the Cats come out of the tournament as a legitimate contender for the national title, having knocked off No. 14 UCLA and No. 5 Miami, and took No. 4 Notre Dame the distance before falling just short. With a young team that can only get better with experience, NU has entrenched its place among the nation’s elite.
Reach Jake Simpson at [email protected].
