By Jake SimpsonThe Daily Northwestern
It’s going to be a wild weekend for Northwestern.
After falling 3-4 to then-No. 1 Georgia Tech on Monday, the Wildcats will look to bounce back with two home duals in three days – both against top ten opponents.
The No. 6 Cats play No. 10 Baylor today, then clash with No. 7 North Carolina on Sunday.
“(The duals) will be a good test for us,” coach Claire Pollard said.
The Cats spent this week working out the kinks that hurt them in the loss to Georgia Tech. While the defeat disappointed the team, it reinforced the belief that NU can compete with the nation’s best programs.
“Knowing we lost to the No. 1 team in the country 4-3 and didn’t play that well gives us confidence,” said senior Alexis Prousis.
Prousis’ health is the Cats’ biggest question mark; the senior has been battling tendonitis since the beginning of the season. The senior played down the issue, saying she is fine.
Whatever her health, the senior is determined to be on the court this weekend.
“I’ll play no matter what,” she said. “I’ll do whatever I can to help the team win.”
The Cats open the weekend against No. 10 Baylor, a program that drew high praise from Pollard.
“They’re very good and very experienced,” NU’s coach said of the Bears. “They make you work for every point.”
Less than 48 hours later, North Carolina comes to town, a team ranked just behind the Cats in the national rankings at No. 7.
The Cats have already dispatched one ACC foe, dismantling then-No. 10 Duke 6-1 on Jan. 28. But Pollard expects the Tar Heels to put up a stiffer fight.
“I think (North Carolina) is as good as anyone in the country,” said Pollard. “They’re just as good as a Georgia Tech or a Northwestern or anybody out there.”
Pitted against the two schools’ strongest players at No. 1 singles, sophomore Georgia Rose echoed her coach’s sentiments.
“I know Baylor and UNC’s No. 1 players are very good,” she said. “I’ll need to play my best tennis.”
The Cats wrap up a critical early-season stretch – playing four duals in eight days, three against top ten programs – with this weekend’s duals. Having split the first two contests, NU is looking to emerge from this weekend with nothing less than a sweep.
If the Cats needed any extra motivation, they got it from Monday’s loss, which left the team determined to stay in the win column in the future.
“It sucks to lose,” Prousis said. “We want to remember what it feels like so we don’t go out there and do it again.”
This weekend’s’ duals – the last the Cats play at home until March 24 – can propel NU into the nation’s top five or drop them out of the top ten entirely.
The stakes are high for a weekend so early in the season, and Pollard sought to downplay the significance of the two duals.
“I don’t think we need to place any more importance on this weekend than on any other,” the coach said.
With two top ten opponents coming through in 48 hours, however, this weekend is not like any other. Rose underscored the importance of the back to back, high-profile contests.
“We have two great opportunities against top ten teams,” the sophomore said. “I think we’ll be ready for them.”
Reach Jake Simpson at [email protected].
