In perhaps its most modest showing on the tennis courts, Northwestern saw its strong fall season come to an end.
At the Thunderbird Classic in Tempe, Ariz., two of the four Wildcats entries were eliminated within a few hours of the opening round. Sophomore Belinda Niu and freshman Anna Livadaru were pulled from action after “injuries got the better of them,” according to coach Claire Pollard. The dropout was particularly disappointing for Niu, who entered Tempe as the tournament’s number three seed.
Junior Brittany Wowchuk came out strong for NU, defeating the University of San Diego’s Anna Depenau, 6-4, 7-5. In the next round, she was relegated to the consolation bracket by eventual champion Zsofi Susanyi of California.
Kate Turvy marked the brightest spot for the Cats. The junior lived up to her number four seed, advancing all the way to the semifinals before losing to Susanyi. Along the way, Turvy gritted her way through tough matches against Ohio State’s Gabby Steele, San Diego’s Laura Claus and the University of California’s Annie Goransson. Against Susanyi, Turvy lost steam after taking the first set, 6-3, dropping the second and third sets, 1-6, 3-6.
Turvy’s appearance in the semifinals kept alive the team’s streak of placing at least one player in the round of four, something the Cats have done in every tournament this year.
Meanwhile, in New York, junior Linda Mushrefova and sophomore Nida Hamilton capped off a dominant fall campaign with a run to the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships.
A few notes from the fall season:
Consistency of Mushrefova and Hamilton
The doubles partners were certainly the stars of the fall season, teaming up for 11 victories against just three losses. Two of those losses came to eventual tournament champions.
Juniors provide spark for the Cats
Doubles aside, Mushrefova proved that she can hold her own in singles play. A self-described “scrappy player, a fighter,” the junior went undefeated through the Wildcat Invitational singles draw to start off the season. Turvy was consistent throughout the season, with two semifinals appearances in three tournaments, and Wowchuk performed well in limited appearances, including a strong run to the finals of the ITA Midwest Regional Championships.
Injuries
The team was hampered by health problems throughout the fall season. Niu, Livadaru, sophomore Natalie Edell, and seniors Stacey Lee and Elena Chernyakova were among the Cats who were limited or held out due to injury. Pollard said she will focus on getting players healthy over the break, implementing what she calls “heavy conditioning sessions.”
Looking forward to spring
The spring season begins January 13th with the second coming of the Wildcat Invitational. The Cats enter the 2011 spring season seeking their 14th consecutive Big Ten championship. Michigan represents their biggest challenge with an impressive crop of young talent. Mushrefova and Hamilton figure to contend for an NCAA doubles title in May, after reaching the quarterfinals last year, and a national championship for the team is certainly not out of the picture.
“The spring is all about team and is what we’re really all about,” Pollard said. “The girls love playing as a team and love representing NU.”
