Women’s Tennis

In desperate need of a win after dropping four straight matches, Northwestern scheduled a last-minute midweek match against Chicago State on Wednesday evening.

The Wildcats (12-9, 5-4 Big Ten) handled the Cougars with ease, not losing more than three games in any set en route to a 4-0 victory.

NU secured wins at first and second doubles to claim the opening point. Junior Julie Byrne and freshman Hannah McColgan beat their opponents 6-1 at No. 1, and senior Rheeya Doshi and sophomore Inci Ogut won 6-2 at No. 2.

The Cats were similarly dominant in singles play. Byrne defeated Chicago State’s Katarina Drazic 6-0 in the first set at No. 2 singles, at which point the match was halted and NU was awarded the point.

Two more victories in quick succession secured the win for the Cats. Doshi picked up a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Kristina Pukhaeva at No. 3 to put NU ahead 3-0, and freshman Clarissa Hand finished it off by beating Anastasia Goncharova 6-2, 6-0 at No. 1.

The Cougars had played at Valparaiso earlier Wednesday, and the Cats took full advantage of their tired opponents. The remaining three singles matches were not completed, but NU had won the first set and had the lead in the second set in all three.

The Cats conclude the regular season with a pair of matches this weekend, hosting No. 18 Ohio State on Saturday and Penn State on Sunday, before next week’s Big Ten Tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska.

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