Northwestern
Wisconsin
Northwestern Powers Past Wisconsin, 6-1
4/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern completed a perfect weekend with a 6-1 win over Wisconsin in Madison on Sunday. The Wildcats won the best-of-three doubles point and five singles matches on the way to a fifth straight Big Ten win.
The 23rd-ranked `Cats improved to 7-2 in the conference and claim sole possession of third place after weekend wins over Minnesota and the Badgers.
Northwestern won two of three doubles matches to jump out to an early lead. Alex Chatt and Lok Sze Leung got things started with an 8-3 win at No. 3, but Wisconsin was able to tie things up with an 8-5 decision at No. 2. The deciding match came down to the first position, where the nation's 39th-ranked duo of Alicia Barnett and Erin Larner outlasted Lauren Chypyha and Kelsey Grambeau, 8-6 to secure the first match point for the Wildcats.
Leung put the `Cats up 2-0 with a quick 6-2, 6-0 win over Lauren Burich at No. 4 singles, but the Badgers brought the match back within one with a win at the No. 5 spot. Wisconsin would not get any closer the rest of the day.
The final four matches went to the Wildcats starting with a 6-2, 6-2 win by Brooke Rischbieth at No. 6. Northwestern clinched the decisive fourth point when Larner beat Maria Avgerinos 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2. Barnett and Chatt finished things off with wins at Nos. 1 and 3 to bring the final margin to 6-1.
The `Cats wrap up the regular season with a pair of conference matches next weekend. Iowa comes to Evanston on Saturday, April 18, and Northwestern welcomes Nebraska for Senior Day on Sunday, April 19.
Results
Singles
No. 1 -- Alicia Barnett (NU) def. Lauren Chypyha (WIS), 7-5, 3-6, 10-6
No. 2 -- Erin Larner (NU) def. Maria Avgerinos (WIS), 6-4, 6-0
No. 3 -- Alex Chatt (NU) def. Ekaterina Stepanova (WIS), 4-6, 7-5, 10-8
No. 4 -- Lok Sze Leung (NU) def. Lauren Burich (WIS), 6-2, 6-0
No. 5 -- Sydney Rider (WIS) def. Rheeya Doshi (NU), 6-1, 7-5
No. 6 -- Brooke Rischbieth (NU) def. Kelsey Grambeau (WIS), 6-2, 6-2
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 6, 2*, 1, 3
Doubles
No. 1 -- #39 Barnett/Larner (NU) def. Chypyha/Grambeau (WIS), 8-6
No. 2 -- Stepanova/Rider (WIS) def. #70 Doshi/Rischbieth (NU), 8-5
No. 3 -- Chatt/Leung (NU) def. Avgerinos/Burich (WIS), 8-3
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1*
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