Saturday’s match in Atlanta has the makings of a clash of the titans.
In one corner stands No. 7 Northwestern, winners of a record nine straight Big Ten championships.
In the other, defending NCAA champion Georgia Tech, the number one team in the nation.
For NU, this challenge is the first step in reaching its ultimate goal of becoming NCAA champions.
After easy victories over No. 15 William & Mary and New Mexico – NU swept both matches 7-0 – the Cats hope to take that first step by beating the Yellow Jackets.
“It’s a chance to see how good we are,” sophomore Samantha Murray said. “We’ve been working hard and look forward to the challenge.”
This is the first matchup between a pair of top-10 teams in 2008. Each team is 2-0 and loaded with talent that could be ticketed to the pro circuits.
Between the two teams, seven singles players are ranked in the top 25 with five in the top 10. Two doubles tandems are also ranked in the top 10.
One of these players is NU’s freshman standout and No. 2 Maria Mosolova, who said she is excited to face the tough Yellow Jackets.
“So far it is the biggest highlight of my collegiate career,” Mosolova said.
The last two regular season meetings between NU and Georgia Tech have been nail biters, with each team squeaking out a 4-3 victory on the opposing team’s home court. The Cats expect nothing different this weekend.
“We are a stronger team than we have been in the last two years,” junior Georgia Rose. “We expect a long and tough match. We give them a lot of respect. We are giving them the respect that they deserve, but we know we can win.”
Mosolova said the key to winning this weekend rests on teamwork.
“We have to support each other, believing that we can make it,” she said. “We can’t relax for a second. We have to concentrate all the time.”
In facing their toughest opponent so far, the Cats have a great opportunity against Georgia Tech to prove they are not the same team that has failed to make it past the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament.
All year, NU has said it is a different, deeper and better team.
And what better way to prove it than by beating the defending national champions?
“It would be good to beat a high-ranked team,” Mosolova said. “It’s mental, and everyone on the team believes.”
Reach Cleyana Mayweather at [email protected].
