ST. PAUL, Minn. - After opening UMAC play with a 7-0 rout at the University of Minnesota Morris on Tuesday, the University of Northwestern Women's Tennis team hoped to use that momentum to stun the conference favorite at Johnson Tennis Complex on Thursday evening. Playing in front of a hearty crowd on UNW's campus, the University of Wisconsin-Superior was able to win eight of the nine matches played, en route to a 7-0 sweep of the Eagles.
The Yellowjackets started things off with a swift, 6-1 win over Northwestern's No. 3 doubles team of
Hannah Hyttsten (Becker, Minn./Becker) and
Abby Cimenski (Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids), but UNW fought back to make things even with a 7-5 win at No. 2 doubles, courtesy of
Aby Ross (Chico, Calif./Central) and
Anne Clarke (Granite Falls, Minn./Yellow Medicine East). The doubles point boiled down to the No. 1 match, which makes for about the best theater you could ask for. Northwestern's
Rein Hayashi (Kyoto, Japan/Kansai Christian School) and
Sarah Langridge (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake) delivered a tremendous match, going to a tiebreak with the score even at 6-6. The tiebreak ultimately went the way of the visitors, 7-2, who took a 1-0 lead in the team match.
There wasn't quite as much drama in singles play, as all but one match went to UWS in two sets. The one that did not was the No. 2 match, which was the final match of the night to conclude. UNW's
Sarah Langridge (Savage, Minn./Prior Lake), who earned her second UMAC Athlete of the Week honor earlier this week, battled back from a tough, 6-7 (6-8) loss in set one to take the second, 7-6 (6-3). With both athletes facing fatigue after a marathon of a match, Langridge's opponent was able to prevail in the tiebreaker, 10-7. At No. 3 singles, Ross suffered a 3-6, 0-6 defeat, while Hyttsten went down, 1-6, 0-6 at No. 4. In the No. 5 match, Clarke lost 2-6, 1-6, and Hayashi fell 3-6, 2-6 at No. 1. At No. 6 singles, Cimenski performed admirably in a 5-7, first set loss, but dropped the second by a 3-6 score.
The Eagles will look to bounce back after the sweep on Monday, when they host Bethany Lutheran at 6:00 PM.
