KISSIMMEE, Fla. – The University of Northwestern Women's Tennis team is finding its groove. Bouncing back from a five-match losing skid, the Eagles ended Thursday's marathon day with a three-game winning streak after a 7-0 sweep of King's College (PA) and a 5-2 win over Wittenberg University.
Match One: King's College Monarchs
UNW's day began bright and early with a 6:30 AM CT match with King's College (PA). The Eagles didn't seem to be phased by the early wake-up call; however, as they were firing on all cylinders from the get-go.
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) rolled to a 6-0 win at No. 2 doubles, then the No. 1 (
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool),
Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central)) and No. 3 (
Caitlyn Swigart (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park),
Isabelle Sullivan (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti)) teams won by matching 6-3 scores.
Northwestern continued to roll in singles matches, beginning with Sullivan's 6-0, 6-0 sweep in the No. 6 match. Jarchow won 6-0, 6-2 at No. 3 singles, then Ross picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win in the No. 4 match. At No. 5, Swigart needed a breaker to win her first set 7-6, but cruised to a 6-1 win to close it out. The Johnson sisters finished things up in some exciting breakers themselves. Paige won 6-1, 2-6, 10-8 at No. 2 singles, while Abby survived a couple of breakers to earn a 4-6, 7-6, 10-5 win in the No. 1 match.
Match Two: Wittenberg University Tigers
The Eagles' 12-hour day concluded with an evening match against Wittenberg University, which provided more of a challenge than the morning's contest. After
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and
Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central) lost 1-6 in the No. 1 doubles match, UNW had to battle back to win the doubles point.
Caitlyn Swigart (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) and
Isabelle Sullivan (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) won 6-2 at No. 3 to keep the objective alive, then
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Yerly Rothwell (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg Area) achieved it with a 6-3 win in the No. 2 match.
In singles,
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) battled a tough opponent in the No. 1 match, but ultimately fell, 0-6, 1-6. Sullivan continued her strong play with another 6-0, 6-0 sweep at No. 6 singles, then Jarchow took home a 6-0, 6-2 win at No. 3.
Paige Johnson's (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) No. 2 singles match was a roller coaster, as the sophomore lost a 9-11 breaker after winning the first set 6-1 and losing the second 1-6. Ross and Swigart won by matching 6-0, 6-2 scores at No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, to finish off the 5-2 win.
Up Next
UNW will savor one final day in Florida before heading home to Minnesota. The Eagles will face off with Ursinus College at 12:00 PM (1:00 PM ET) in Orlando.
