Northwestern is not accustomed to losing. Just ask senior Lauren Lui, who is 34-1 in conference singles play and has been a part of three Big Ten Championship teams in her three seasons with the Wildcats.
“Losing is definitely not something we’ve had a lot of experience with before,” Lui said. “As a team we have always done really well and had a lot of confidence.”
No. 5 NU (14-4) is getting more accustomed to that sinking feeling after dropping one Big Ten contest and three non-conference matchups, all to top-10 teams. After losing its first Big Ten match since 2004 against then-No. 8 Michigan last weekend, coach Claire Pollard said the team is adopting more of an underdog mentality. Still, the Cats are not the average underdog: NU is ranked fifth in the nation and boasts the 13th-ranked singles player, Maria Mosolova. When the Cats head to Texas this weekend for a matchup against No. 1 Baylor (16-2), they will have a shot at reversing their recent losing streak against top-10 teams.
“This program really hasn’t seen a lot of struggles, but all of a sudden we’re really beginning to face some real adversity,” Pollard said. “We’re underdogs now, but that’s a good, humbling mentality that will only make us better.”
Baylor, on a 10-game winning streak, will prove a tough test for NU. The Bears have not lost since February, when they were also overpowered 4-3 by the Wolverines.
Mosolova will challenge Baylor’s most formidable singles opponent, No. 6 Lenka Broosova. NU’s top singles player, who reeled off five consecutive wins in March, had her streak thwarted by Michigan’s No. 25 Denise Muresan on Saturday, 6-3, 6-0.
“Muresan played really great tennis, but I’m not going to let it get in the way,” Mosolova said. “I am actually really happy with the way I have been playing lately.”
NU has also been getting good play out of its seniors: Lui and Samantha Murray. The pair proved victorious in their singles matches against Michigan, with Murray coming from behind to win her match in the third set. For Lui the trip will be a homecoming as she returns to her native Texas.
“There is always something nice about playing at home and getting to see my family,” Lui said. “But I always try to go into every match with intensity, so it will be no different at home.”
After facing Baylor on Friday, the NU plays No. 27 Texas (9-4) on Saturday. The trip will give the Cats more outdoor experience and preparation for the sort of conditions they will face at the NCAA championships in Georgia come May.
“We are just working at playing better in general,” Pollard said. “At the end of the season it won’t be about the losses in the regular season, it will be about channeling to win something even bigger.”
