Coming into Saturday’s matchup with Michigan State, Northwestern women’s tennis had recorded two straight shutouts, while the Spartans were still looking for their first Big Ten win. It would be easy to become complacent, but the No. 14 Wildcats (11-7, 5-1 Big Ten) went out and took care of the Spartans (10-11, 0-6) by rolling to a 5-0 start and a 6-1 final.
No. 1 seed Veronica Corning finished things off with a 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 comeback win over Michigan State’s Marina Bohrer. Northwestern’s Kate Turvy, Belinda Niu, Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton all came away with two-set victories.
In the doubles matchups, the Wildcats dominated. Mushrefova and Hamilton earned an 8-1 victory, and Corning and Barnett rolled to an 8-0 decision, giving the 'Cats a 1-0 lead heading into the singles matches.
No. 2 Turvy dominated Michigan State’s Olga Chernova 6-1, 6-0, and No. 6 Hamilton finished off Michaela Silesova just moments later, 6-2, 6-0. No. 3 Niu and No. 4 Mushrefova each took care of their opponents shortly afterward.
After Alicia Barnett dropped a 6-2, 4-6, 0-1 decision to the Spartans’ Nicole Herzog, Corning and Bohrer were the only ones still going. Northwestern had already clinched the victory, but the battle remained competitive.
Bohrer had gained a commanding lead by winning the first set and going up 3-0 in the second, but after a close out-of-bounds call gave a point to Corning, she took advantage and changed the momentum. The junior came back to take the set, and in a tie-breaking final game, she pulled it off.
The win keeps Northwestern in the thick of the Big Ten race, but they still sit behind 5-0 Nebraska. The Wildcats take on No. 8 Michigan Sunday in another home matchup.