Northwestern made quick work of two non-conference opponents Sunday, defeating UIC 5-2 and Milwaukee 7-0 in a doubleheader at Combe Tennis Center that ended with coach Claire Pollard’s 600th victory as a women’s tennis coach.
Pollard, who became the ninth coach in NCAA Division I history to accomplish the feat, was honored after the Milwaukee match with balloons forming the number 600 and a video message from former players.
“It’s a testament to all the players that have come through the program,” Pollard said. “It speaks much more about the program than it does about me.”
Pollard took the helm in 1999 and has since led the Wildcats to 13 Big Ten regular season titles, 15 Big Ten Tournament titles and 24 NCAA Tournament appearances. The Surrey, England native racked up 73 wins at Lamar and Mississippi State before taking the NU job. The remainder of her victories have come in Evanston.
Pollard said she wasn’t aware of the impending milestone prior to the surprise ceremony.
“I couldn’t tell you if I’ve won one match or, well, apparently I’ve won 600,” Pollard said. “Those two assistants’ job security just went down a lot today.”
The ’Cats were short-handed Sunday as the regular singles No. 1, freshman Mika Dagan Fruchtman, missed out with a minor injury. Pollard said she expected Dagan Fruchtman to return next weekend. Graduate student Britany Lau — who typically plays at No. 3 in singles — only saw action in doubles.
Against UIC, NU raced to victory in the doubles point, with the No. 1 pairing of senior Sydney Pratt and freshman Erica Jessel and the No. 2 pairing of senior Kiley Rabjohns and sophomore Neena Feldman each earning 6-1 wins.
Without Dagan Fruchtman, Jessel played at the No. 1 singles spot for the first time in her career and sailed to a 6-4, 6-1 victory. Jessel said the lineup change had no effect on her.
“I just play,” Jessel said. “I don’t really care too much about the number — I felt the same.”
That result put NU up 3-1 after freshman No. 6 Maia Loureiro lost 6-2, 6-0 but Rabjohns won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 3.
It was Rabjohns’ first singles victory of the dual season — she had come into the day with an 0-3 record after missing the first four matches of the season with a back injury.
“We just feel like she needs a ton of points,” Pollard said of Rabjohns’ journey back to full match fitness. “We’re trying to balance that with obviously not overdoing it.”
Pratt clinched the match, winning 6-1, 6-3 at the No. 2 spot. No. 4 Feldman added to NU’s tally with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph, while sophomore No. 5 Autumn Rabjohns fell in a third-set super-tiebreak, 6-7(7), 6-3, 10-5.
Against Milwaukee in the afternoon, the ’Cats picked up where they left off. Feldman and Rabjohns won 6-0 at No. 2 doubles, while Lau teamed up with sophomore transfer Katya Shepherd Johnson to win 6-1 at No. 3 and clinch the point.
NU trounced the Panthers in singles, dropping just 17 games across six matches for an average of 1.4 games lost per set.
Pratt was the first to finish, winning 6-0, 6-0 for her first career dual season double bagel. The victory improved her singles record to a team-best 6-0.
No. 4 Feldman won 6-1, 6-0, before No. 5 Autumn Rabjohns clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-1 victory. No. 1 Jessel, No. 3 Kiley Rabjohns, and junior No. 6 Jennifer Riester all added to the ’Cats’ win column and sealed a 7-0 sweep.
After the match, Pollard’s players were keen to stress her importance to the program on the day of a major milestone.
“She’s like another mom for almost every single girl that’s ever been through this program,” Kiley Rabjohns said.
Email: elikronenberg2027@u.northwestern.edu
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