ST. PAUL, Minn. – A busy final week of the regular season for the University of Northwestern Women's Tennis team that included five matches in five days culminated on Saturday with the team's final two UMAC contests. The Eagles played host to Crown College and Martin Luther College in a do-or-die doubleheader. Two wins would vault Northwestern ahead of Martin Luther for the final spot in the UMAC Tennis Tournament next weekend in Minneapolis. On an emotional Senior Day in which Head Coach
Matt Swigart celebrated three graduating student-athletes (
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne),
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and
Caitlyn Swigart (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park)), UNW delivered with a pair of 6-1 wins to punch its ticket.
Match One: Crown College Polars
Doubles play in the Crown match had those in attendance at Johnson Tennis Complex thinking they were seeing triple, as all three matches went Northwestern's way in matching 6-2 scores. Abby and
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) teamed up for the win in the No. 1 match, the senior tandem of
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) and
Caitlyn Swigart (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) won at No. 2, and freshmen
Yerly Rothwell (Reedsburg, Wis./Reedsburg Area) and
Macie Ruddy (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids) took home the No. 3 win.
Jarchow kicked off singles play with a dominant, 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 3, while
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) took care of business in the No. 2 match with a 6-0, 6-1 victory. After
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) won 6-1, 6-2 at No. 1 singles, Swigart polished off a 6-2, 6-0 win in the No. 4 spot. Sullivan played No. 5 singles and won 6-4, 6-2, while
Hannah Hyttsten (Becker, Minn./Becker) suffered the only loss for UNW in the match, a 6-3, 5-7, 7-10 war at No. 6.
Match Two: Martin Luther College Knights
The win over the Polars drew the Eagles even with Martin Luther in the UMAC standings, setting up a win-and-in scenario in the regular season finale as it pertained to the conference tournament. Despite the long day and week, UNW got off to a hot start as
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and
Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central), who was back in the lineup after missing most of the week, rolled to a 6-0 win at No. 1 doubles.
Caitlyn Swigart (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) and
Isabelle Sullivan (Cambridge, Minn./Cambridge-Isanti) did lose the No. 2 match 2-6, but a 6-2 win at No. 3 for
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and
Elise Jarchow (Luverne, Minn./Luverne) allowed Northwestern to begin the match up 1-0.
Paige Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) and Jarchow played the same number of games in their respective singles matches, but flipped the scores. Johnson won 6-2, 6-0 at No. 2, while Jarchow notched a 6-0, 6-2 win in the No. 3 match. Swigart dropped her No. 5 singles match 1-6, 1-6, but Ross looked as good as ever in her 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 4. Sullivan gutted out a 6-2, 7-5 win at No. 6 singles, and
Abby Johnson (Zimmerman, Minn./Homeschool) battled to a 6-4, 7-6 win at No. 1.
Up Next
Because Northwestern finished the regular season 4-1 in UMAC play and in second place in the conference's North Division,
Matt Swigart's crew will participate in next weekend's UMAC Tennis Tournament, beginning with the semifinal round on Friday. The Eagles will take on Greenville, the No. 1 seed from the South Division, at 4:30 PM at Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis.
