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Northwestern Advances In Big Ten Championship; Tops Minnesota, 4-0
Photo Gallery From Second-Round Action
Women's Big Ten Championship Bracket
Northwestern Big Ten Championship Match Notes
April 25, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- No. 1 Northwestern swept a 4-0 second-round victory from Minnesota Friday, and advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Championship. The Wildcats will face fourth-seeded Illinois at 9 a.m. Saturday. Northwestern is just two wins away from setting Big Ten history. The Wildcats are aiming to clinch their 10th-consecutive Big Ten title before heading into the NCAA tournament next month in search of a greater prize. The Wildcats took a 1-0 match lead after a sweep of the doubles point. At No. 3, Maria Mosolova (Moscow, Russia/No. 204) and Nazlie Ghazal (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) jumped out to a dominating 6-0 lead, eventually taking the court, 8-2. Georgia Rose (Mettawa, Ill./North Shore Country Day) and Lauren Lui (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) secured the point for Northwestern at No. 1 with an 8-3 win of their own. With a 7-6 lead, Samantha Murray (Altrincham, England/Altrincham Grammar) and Suzie Matzenauer looked on their way to a victory at No. 2 before their match was abandoned. The Wildcats carried the momentum into singles play, taking three-straight courts and securing the 4-0 match victory. The 'Cats went up 2-0 at No. 6 when Matzenauer cruised to an impressive 6-0, 6-2 straight set victory. With the win, she extended her winning streak to eight and improved to 22-2 in dual play this season. A short time later, Mosolova gave the Wildcats a 3-0 match advantage with her 6-1, 6-2, win at No. 1. Mosolova sits at 19-2 from No. 1 in duals and 34-4 overall. She also keeps her winning streak alive at 10. Samantha Murray put Northwestern up 4-0, clinching the match, with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 performance at No. 3. Murray now has reached 36 overall wins on the season, the most by any Wildcat. With the win, the 'Cats advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Championship. Northwestern will face Illinois at 9 a.m. Saturday in the semi-final round. The Wildcats defeated the Fighting Illini 7-0 during the regular season. Friday's sweep comes just one day after the Wildcats were widely recognized in the Big Ten awards selections. On Thursday, Maria Mosolova was named both Freshman and Player of the year. Head coach Claire Pollard was honored with her fourth Coach of the Year award in ten seasons. Georgia Rose, Samantha Murray, Lauren Lui and Mosolova were each named to the 12-member All-Big Ten team. It marks the first time since 1984 that four 'Cats were selected. The Big Ten Championship is taking place in West Lafayette, Ind. at Purdue University. The event runs through this weekend, with the tournament concluding at the Schwartz Tennis Center at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 27, when the conference championship takes place. For additional tournament information including brackets, schedules and live match statistics, please visit Purdue's Big Ten Women's Tennis Championship homepage Singles competition
1. #4 Maria Mosolova (NU) def. Alessandra Ferrazzi (MINN) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. #18 Lauren Lui/Georgia Rose (NU) def. Karina Chiarelli/Lindsay Risebrough (MINN) 8-3
Match Notes
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,1,3)
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