Nine. That’s the number of consecutive Big Ten championships Northwestern has won.
Its quest for a 10th straight conference championship begins at 11 a.m Saturday at the Combe Tennis Center against Penn State (1-4). The Wildcats (6-1) continue their Big Ten opening weekend Sunday, when they host Michigan (1-3).
“I feel good about our chances (to be Big Ten champions),” coach Claire Pollard said. “I think we’re the team to beat, but we’re certainly not going to overlook anyone, and certainly not going to take anything for granted. We earn everything we get.”
This weekend’s opponents have struggled so far this season.
The Nittany Lions have lost four of five duals, winning their only dual against Bucknell to start the season. The Wolverines have lost to No. 16 Vanderbilt, Kentucky and most recently, No. 10 Miami. However, they posted a 4-3 win against No. 12 Notre Dame.
“We definitely feel prepared,” junior Georgia Rose said. “We’re ready for Michigan and Penn State this weekend, and then the rest of the Big Ten schedule as we go through the spring.”
The Cats are coming off a successful weekend at the ITA Indoor Championships, playing against most of the top-ranked teams in the nation. They reached the finals for the first time in program history and also became the first Big Ten team to reach the final round.
To top off the success, Rose and sophomore Suzie Matzenauer were named to the All-Tournament team. Rose earned the honor at the No. 2 singles spot after a stellar performance that included a win against Georgia Tech’s seventh-ranked Kristi Miller. Matzenauer earned the honors at the No. 6 singles spot after a flawless 4-0 performance.
Despite their individual successes, both players note the same theme that the Cats have emphasized over and over again all season – team success.
“I think we both had a good run at Indoors, but everybody on the team has contributed a lot,” Matzenauer said. “I think it just shows that we’re all playing well. Hopefully we’ll keep it up and get ready for NCAA in May.”
Despite losing to Georgia Tech the final round, NU moved up the ITA rankings once again, becoming the second-ranked team in the nation.
Are the Cats thrilled about the rise? Yes, but they also seem to be slightly disappointed.
“We’re excited to be No. 2, but we’re not content at all,” Matzenauer said. “We know we have the ability to be the best. We’re going to keep working hard.”
Winning the NCAA title is still their main goal, and kicking off the Big Ten season presents just another opportunity to test their talent.
