MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Northwestern women's tennis team drove to the University of Minnesota Morris on Thursday for a conference contest with the Cougars. The Eagles defeated Morris 7-2, extending their winning streak to 16 consecutive matches. The win improved Northwestern's record to 17-3 and preserved their perfect conference record at 6-0.
In doubles,
Taylar Smith (Litchfield, Minn./Litchfield) and
Elli Dodge (Wahpeton, N.D./Wahpeton) gave the Eagles an early lead with an 8-2 win in the #2 match.
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Analise Marquardt (Parkers Prairie, Minn./Parkers Prairie) doubled Northwestern's lead with an 8-3 win at #3 doubles. The Cougars spoiled the Eagles sweep aspirations with an 8-7 (7-5) tiebreaker win in the #1 doubles contest.
Up 2-1 entering singles, Marquardt added to the Eagles' lead with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep in the #6 match. Smith followed at #3 singles with a 6-1, 6-3 win to earn the fourth team point. Jarchow clinched the decisive fifth team point for UNW with a 6-0, 6-2 win at #5 singles.
With the match secured at 5-1, the Eagles kept on winning.
Belinda Weddle (Rhinelander, Wis./Rhinelander) rallied back from a 1-6 first set loss to take the second 6-3 and win the super tiebreaker 11-9 for the #1 singles win. Dodge followed with a 6-0, 6-0 sweep at the #4 match. With just #2 singles remaining, the Cougars earned one more team point but Northwestern won the day 7-2.
Up next for Northwestern is a conference match this Saturday at 5:00 P.M. against the Martin Luther College Knights at Life Time in White Bear Lake.
