The Combe Tennis Center is strewn with banners and trophies that attest to the powerhouse No. 1 Northwestern has become over the last decade. Eleven consecutive Big Ten titles, five undefeated conference seasons and two ITA indoor team championships are proof of the team’s success.
Still, if you ask senior Samantha Murray, there is one crucial piece of hardware missing.
“Really the only goal I have this season is to win the NCAA’s,” Murray said. “I have been working at it for three years. After playing some of the best teams (at the ITA indoor team championships) and beating them, we know that we have a serious shot.”
The Wildcats’ second consecutive ITA indoor team tournament championship marks the beginning of their 2010 run at the elusive NCAA title. Three of the last four NU squads have made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament but no farther. Though the team is returning stalwarts such as Murray, fellow senior Lauren Lui and junior Maria Mosolova, the four NU newcomers got their first taste of the elite competition they will face down the road.
The Cats pulled points from every spot in their lineup, as evidenced by the final against No. 11 North Carolina. Both NU’s No. 1 and No. 3 doubles teams clinched close wins over one of the strongest doubles programs in the country to set up the Cats’ 4-2 win. The No. 3 team, comprised of Murray and newcomer Kate Turvy, went undefeated on the weekend. At singles, Mosolova’s win cemented the ITA title for the Cats, but freshman Stacy Lee was also poised to take down her opponent when the match was called.
“In the past couple of seasons we have maybe relied on certain players more heavily, and that has sort of subconsciously made other players feel less significant,” coach Claire Pollard said. “But this year we really are an unknown quantity with a lot to prove, so everyone has to contribute. Who knows, maybe that pushes us harder when it comes to these tournaments.”
One player who is not an ‘unknown quantity’ is Mosolova, as she finished last season No. 2 in the country. Mosolova has been ranked in the top-10 since exploding onto the college scene as a freshman. But her fate in the NCAA championships has closely mirrored that of the rest of the Cats-for two consecutive years she has earned a top seed in the tournament only to be stymied in the quarterfinals. Mosolova posted a 3-1 record at the ITA indoor team championships, including a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 6 Caitlin Whoriskey.
“I was very pleased with the way I played this weekend in singles,” Mosolova said. “There are still things to fix before the end of the season, but another part of winning is luck. If I can get both by the end of the season maybe I can have a good shot (at the title).”
Also emerging at singles is Lui, who posted a 4-0 record on the weekend to claim Big Ten Player of the Week. In Lui’s past three seasons she has made her mark as a doubles player. With her partner, 2009 graduate and All-American Georgia Rose, Lui advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship and finished the 2009 season No. 13 in the nation.
Lui’s new partner at the No. 1 doubles spot is sophomore Elena Chernyakova. The duo struggled at the beginning of the final ITA match, dropping the first three sets to the No. 6 ranked team. But Lui and Chernyakova showed resilience and battled back to claim an 8-6 win that gave the Cats the edge in the doubles portion of the matchup.
“This ITA win was special because it was such a resounding team effort characterized by resiliency,” Pollard said. “If we can show toughness like that down the road who knows what we can make happen.”[email protected]
