Northwestern’s doubles lineup has been a bit like speed dating this season, as coach Claire Pollard searched for pairings with on-court chemistry. After sweeping all of their doubles matches in wins against Ohio State and Penn State last weekend, the Wildcats are finally entering the commitment phase-for better or worse.
“This is it,” Pollard said. “I’m not saying anything’s perfect, but it will be good to play the same doubles lineup for several matches in a row. We saw some pretty good play out there from all the (doubles) teams, and that is certainly a relief after struggling with finding the right mix.”
No. 6 NU (17-6, 8-1 Big Ten) capped off its regular season conference play with a pair of wins on the road against Penn State (4-17, 0-9) and No. 32 Ohio State (18-8, 5-5). NU’s play at doubles yielded a combined score of 24-7 against Penn State. Pollard paired up sophomore Elena Chernyakova and junior Maria Mosolova as the No. 2 squad and freshman Kate Turvey and senior Samantha Murray at the No. 3 spot. While the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams had both played together before, Pollard took a gamble at No. 1, pairing senior Lauren Lui and freshman Linda Abu Mushrefova. The gamble paid off, with Lui and Abu Mushrefova capturing commanding wins over Penn State and Ohio State, 8-4 and 8-2.
“I really enjoyed playing with Linda,” Lui said. “We have such a great chemistry together on the court and we balance each other. We’re all just impressed with how she stepped up to the plate as a freshman.”
Lui is experienced at the No. 1 spot, having played there last year with then-senior Georgia Rose. The pair advanced to the NCAA tournament quarterfinals, earning All-American honors in the process. Lui has played with the majority of the roster since then, trying to find a partner to complement her left-handed shot and agility on the court.
Lui’s good fortune in doubles was marred by an uncharacteristic singles loss at Ohio State. The defeat marked Lui’s second career Big Ten singles loss.
“I was pretty disappointed,” Lui said. “I have some things to work on heading into practice. But right now it’s all about the team and I was so proud that we played well.”
NU will need the momentum as it travels to the Big Ten tournament this weekend in Iowa. The Cats are searching for their twelfth straight conference title, but the road will not be easy. If the bracket plays out according to the rankings, NU will face a Michigan squad that handed it its first Big Ten loss since 2004.
Pollard was encouraged by the strong play across the board in NU’s sweep of Ohio State on Saturday. No. 12 Mosolova defeated No. 65 Kirsten Flower after sitting out Friday’s match. Mosolova and Chernyakova also won their doubles match, giving the pair a 4-0 doubles record on the season.
“We’re definitely hungry and passionate to get the win at the Big Tens,” Mosolova said. “We’re really bitter about not winning the Big Tens regular season. We have great confidence right now.”
