A valiant comeback fell just short for the Northwestern women’s tennis team in the NCAA Tournament round of 16. The season ended on Friday evening as the No. 11 Wildcats (20-9) lost 4-3 to the No. 6 Miami Hurricanes (23-5) in Champaign, Ill.
Early on, NU fell into a deep hole against the talented Miami squad. The 14th-ranked doubles team of senior Linda Abu Mushrefova and junior Nida Hamilton was routed 8-1 by Monique Albuquerque and Clementina Riobueno. Soon after, seniors Kate Turvy and Belinda Niu fell to Brittany Dubins and Stephanie Wagner by the same score, earning the Hurricanes the point.
The top-seeded singles matchups showed much of the same. In the No. 1 slot, junior Veronica Corning was beaten by Wagner, 6-1, 6-2. The No. 2 matchup also saw a straight-set victory for Miami, with 57th-ranked Turvy losing to Kelsey Laurente, 6-1. 6-3.
With a 3-0 deficit, Miami needed just one more point to clinch the match, but the unsung players for Northwestern answered the call. The No. 4 slot saw a 6-0, 6-4 upset victory by Mushrefova over Riobueno, who is ranked 102nd nationally. Next to finish was freshman Alicia Barnett, who beat Albuquerque in the No. 5 spot by a score of 6-3, 1-6, 6-1. Shortly afterward, Niu won the No. 3 matchup by defeating 105th-ranked Lina Lilekite, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5. Her victory brought the ‘Cats all the way back for a 3-3 tie.
Last to finish were Hamilton and Miami’s Melissa Bolivar in the No. 7 spot. Bolivar had taken the first set, 7-6, but Hamilton responded with a 6-1 win to force a third and deciding set. Bolivar ultimately took the set and the match with a 6-4 victory.
The comeback was cut just short for NU, which capped off yet another very successful season. The Wildcats won their 15th consecutive Big Ten title and 10th consecutive NCAA regional title. While the team may not be talked about often, Northwestern’s women’s tennis is making these types of seasons a habit, and it doesn’t seem to be nearing its end.