Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

35° Evanston, IL
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881

The Daily Northwestern

Advertisement
Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our email newsletter in your inbox.



Advertisement

Advertisement

Women’s Tennis: Wildcats prosper in the City of Angels

After a perfect performance at the Wildcat Invitational, Northwestern continued to impress against substantial competition at the ITA All-American Championships in Los Angeles. Four of the five Wildcats who participated in the tournament posted wins in what coach Claire Pollard called “the toughest tournament of the year.”

The doubles tandem of junior Linda Abu Mushrefova and sophomore Nida Hamilton, fresh off of their victory in last weekend’s Wildcat Invitational, picked up right where they left off. The duo grinded their way to the semifinals, where they were finally bested by Florida’s Allie Will and Sofie Oyen.

The loss put an end to a remarkable weekend for Mushrefova, who earned Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her 6-0 performance the previous weekend.

According to Pollard, NU’s success in the tournament was not to be measured by wins and losses:

“I was pleased,” she said. “For all of those girls, it was their first time experiencing the qualifying or the main draw, and for most of them, it was the first time they’ve gone, period. For them to experience that, to see that level and understand the roles they’ve got to play this year, it was invaluable for them.”

Pollard said the competition this past week was even stronger than what they will face in the NCAA Tournament in May. That bodes well for the young members of the team, who appeared generally unfazed by the elite competition present at the event.

As for NU’s own leadership, multiple players will have to step up and fill the gaping hole left by former No. 1 singles player Maria Mosolova, who graduated after finishing with a 22-3 record last season.

“All of our juniors and even our sophomores are going to have to step up and play bigger roles than they have in previous years,” Pollard said. “We’re still in an adjustment period, where it’s hard to tell where the pieces will fall.”

She noted that while it was impossible to replace a player of Mosolova’s caliber, she has tried to help and inspire members of the team to become “the next Maria Mosolova.”

“There will be another player who will step up and do that, and then another player and another player,” she said. “And that’s the secret to success.”

Mushrefova echoed that sentiment:

“We all have to step up,” the junior said. “We have good chemistry. At any given moment, anyone can step up and be a leader.”

The Cats now turn their attention to the ITA Midwest Regional Championships. Action begins Thursday, Oct. 20 in Columbus, Ohio, with winners advancing to the national individual tournament in New York.

[email protected]

More to Discover
Activate Search
Northwestern University and Evanston's Only Daily News Source Since 1881
Women’s Tennis: Wildcats prosper in the City of Angels