They broke nearly every team record this season. They won their record-breaking 10th consecutive Big Ten title. They posted a program-best 15 shutouts and a 23-1 regular season record.
But the top-seeded Wildcats failed to achieve their ultimate goal: a national championship.
Northwestern saw its NCAA run come to an end after being upset 4-2 by No. 8 seeded California in the quarterfinals.
“It’s definitely really disappointing,” junior Georgia Rose said. “I think we didn’t expect it to go that way, but we have to give California a lot of credit. … They played a great match, played solid at every spot and didn’t give us any breaks.”
Although the Cats swept the Golden Bears 4-0 earlier this season in the National Indoor Championships, Rose said California came out tougher this time.
“We expected California to be tough, but we had that win over them in Indoors, and I think we gained a lot of confidence from that,” she said. “It was a completely different match than Indoors. Their lineup was different and there were different matchups. They were a little tougher than we were.”
NU started strong in doubles play, winning the doubles point to take a 1-0 lead. Maria Mosolova and Nazlie Ghazal defeated Bojana Bobusic and Cristina Visico 8-5 at the No. 3 spot. But the Bears tied the doubles point at 1-1 with a victory at the No. 2 spot.
With the doubles point on the line, Rose and sophomore Lauren Lui pulled out with an 8-5 victory in a hard-fought battle against the 12th-ranked duo of Susie Babos and Stephanie Kusano.
“Having that point really helps, having to only win three (singles) matches instead of four,” Lui said. “We just stuck with the game plan and tried to win the point. The crowd and the atmosphere was great. It was a lot of fun out there.”
But the Cats couldn’t convert in singles play, suffering three consecutive losses to fall into a 3-1 hole. The players at the No. 5 and No. 6 sports came into the match with a 50-5 combined dual record. But neither Ghazal nor Suzie Matzenauer could win in those spots on Saturday.
“I thought we got a lot of momentum from the doubles point,” Rose said. “I really didn’t think it was possible for us to lose five out of six singles matches.”
The Bears came out strong and overwhelmed the Cats. Bobusic defeated Matzenauer at the No. 6 spot 6-1, 6-3 to tie the match at 1-1. It was Matzenauer’s first loss in 14 matches. Soon after, Kusano defeated Ghazal at the No. 5 spot 6-4, 6-2.
Just moments later, Samantha Murray fell 6-0, 6-3 at the No. 3 spot, giving California a dominating 3-1 lead.
With her team one loss away from elimination, Rose gave the Cats a chance for a comeback. She won 7-5, 6-4 over Marina Cossou, ranked fourth in the nation, in a tight match at the No. 2 spot.
With California up 3-2, both Mosolova and Lui played a third set. But the Cats were unable to pull off the win. Babos defeated Mosolova 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 to clinch the victory for the Bears.
“It was a little depressing, obviously, because we worked really hard this year to get to the championships,” Lui said. “It just wasn’t one of our days, and that’s the story of the game. … We’re just going to learn from it and try to get further next year.”
The Cats fell one win short of their first ever trip to the semifinals. But Rose said she recognizes what a great season the team had and said they will learn from the loss.
“California’s team has a lot of seniors playing, a lot of people who’ve been in the situation before,” Rose said. “We’re not as experienced in those situations as California was. I think it’ll just make us stronger for next year.”
NU will return all six of its starting singles players next year and will enter the season as one of the country’s most experienced teams.
While their team season is over, the Cats have a chance to rack up more awards in the individual championships. Four players – Rose, Lui, Mosolova, and Murray – will compete for the singles title this week. Rose and Lui will also play for the doubles title.
——–View photos from this weekend’s sports events here.
