Northwestern University Athletics
Thursday, April 23
Columbus, Ohio
1 p.m. CT
Northwestern
2
vs
4
Maryland
Photo by: Kirk Irwin
NU Falls to Maryland 4-2 in Big Ten Tournament
4/23/2026 5:57:00 PM | Women's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio — No. 10-seed Northwestern suffered a heartbreaking 4-2 loss to No. 7-seed Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament First Round at Ty Tucker Tennis Center on Thursday afternoon.
The Wildcats (14-11, 6-7 Big Ten), the No. 58-ranked team nationally, took the doubles point from the No. 43-ranked Terrapins (17-6, 8-5 Big Ten), but failed to close out the match in singles.
Sophomore Erica Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala, the No. 38 doubles team in the country, beat Diya Challa and Emma Ghiradato, the No. 61 doubles pairing nationally, for the second time in as many weeks with a 6-4 result at the No. 1 doubles slot. Jessel and Phanthala concluded the season with an 11-6 record together, beating six ranked opponents.
Junior Autumn Rabjohns and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman registered a 6-4 victory at the No. 3 position to secure the doubles point for Northwestern. The two finished the campaign with a 4-2 record playing together.
Maryland won the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 singles matches to take a 3-1 lead in the match.
Dagan Fruchtman earned a 6-3, 6-3 win on the No. 5 singles court to make it a 3-2 affair and jumpstart the Wildcats' comeback efforts. The result marked Dagan Fruchtman's team-best 15th singles win of the season, the most by a Northwestern underclassman since the 2021 dual season.
However, the Wildcats' comeback was denied, falling at the No. 6 spot in a third set. At the No. 3 position, Rabjohns was deadlocked at 3-3 with her opponent in the third set when the match concluded.
When Northwestern takes to the courts in the fall, it is set to return its entire roster, including All-Big Ten Second Team and unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree Phanthala.
The Wildcats (14-11, 6-7 Big Ten), the No. 58-ranked team nationally, took the doubles point from the No. 43-ranked Terrapins (17-6, 8-5 Big Ten), but failed to close out the match in singles.
Sophomore Erica Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala, the No. 38 doubles team in the country, beat Diya Challa and Emma Ghiradato, the No. 61 doubles pairing nationally, for the second time in as many weeks with a 6-4 result at the No. 1 doubles slot. Jessel and Phanthala concluded the season with an 11-6 record together, beating six ranked opponents.
Junior Autumn Rabjohns and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman registered a 6-4 victory at the No. 3 position to secure the doubles point for Northwestern. The two finished the campaign with a 4-2 record playing together.
Maryland won the No. 1, No. 2, and No. 4 singles matches to take a 3-1 lead in the match.
Dagan Fruchtman earned a 6-3, 6-3 win on the No. 5 singles court to make it a 3-2 affair and jumpstart the Wildcats' comeback efforts. The result marked Dagan Fruchtman's team-best 15th singles win of the season, the most by a Northwestern underclassman since the 2021 dual season.
However, the Wildcats' comeback was denied, falling at the No. 6 spot in a third set. At the No. 3 position, Rabjohns was deadlocked at 3-3 with her opponent in the third set when the match concluded.
When Northwestern takes to the courts in the fall, it is set to return its entire roster, including All-Big Ten Second Team and unanimous Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree Phanthala.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3
#1 Singles Match
12
Emma Ghirardato / 0 [UMD]
66
30
#2 Singles Match
12
Oliwia Orlinska / 0 (111/-) [UMD]
76
52
#3 Singles Match
1234
Magdalena Baniak / 0 [UMD]
2730
663UF
#4 Singles Match
12
Diya Challa / 0 [UMD]
66
44
#5 Singles Match
12
Tamari Gagoshidze / 0 [UMD]
44
66
#6 Singles Match
123
Lucia Donnelly / 0 [UMD]
366
642
Order of Finish:
1,2,4,5,6
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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