Northwestern dispersed its players across the central United States this weekend. Some Wildcats traveled to Nashville, while others went to East Lansing.
Sophomores Neena Feldman and Autumn Rabjohns journeyed to Vanderbilt University for the June Stewart Invitational. Meanwhile, senior Kiley Rabjohns, junior Jennifer Riester, sophomore Katya Shepherd Johnson and freshman Erica Jessel all headed northwest for the Michigan State Classic.
Feldman shined in Tennessee’s capital, as she went 3-0 in singles during the weekend, but the victories didn’t come without breaking a sweat. Her 6-4, 6-4 win on Friday was a breeze compared to her Saturday and Sunday battles.
On Saturday, she was forced to battle back from a set down but ultimately won 5-7, 6-3, [11-9]. Less than 24 hours later, she took the court and played an even closer match. She squeaked out a 7-6(5), 6(5)-7, [10-8] victory.
Autumn Rabjohns went 1-2 in singles, including a dominant 6-3, 6-2 win Sunday. Her Saturday loss was a heartbreaker. After taking the first set 6-3, she dropped the second set in a tiebreaker and lost the match tiebreaker [10-6].
The two played doubles together and went 1-2 in doubles.
A shade under 500 miles apart, Kiley Rabjohns — Autumn Rabjohns’s older sister — had a nearly flawless weekend, both in singles and doubles.
She displayed dominance in singles on Friday and Saturday, picking up 6-2, 6-4 and 6-3, 6-3 wins. On the final day of play, Kiley Rabjohns came to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 victory over Michigan’s Emily Sartz-Lunde, the reigning 2024 U.S. Open junior doubles champion.
In doubles, Kiley Rabjohns paired with Jessel, and the duo went 3-1 over the weekend. With 6-4, 6-2 and 6-3 wins, the duo excelled.
Jessel had immense success in singles, compiling a 2-1 record. She upset Michigan State’s Matilde Morais — the Spartans’ No. 1 singles player last season — 6-4, 6(1)-7, 6-3. On Sunday, she notched a 6-4, 7-5 win.
Meanwhile, Riester tallied a 6-3, 7-6(2) singles victory on the competition’s opening day. Playing alongside Shepherd Johnson in doubles, the pairing went 1-1.
Shepherd Johnson went 1-4 in singles over the weekend.
The Wildcats return to action this coming weekend with the team split between Fort Worth for the TCU Invitational and a return to East Lansing for the Spartan Invite.
Email: [email protected]
Related Stories:
— Women’s Tennis: Northwestern’s doubles flourish at ITA Regional Championships
— Women’s Tennis: New faces shine as Northwestern opens season with Notre Dame Invite
— Women’s Tennis: Israeli star Mika Dagan Fruchtman readies for four years at Northwestern
