No. 1 Seed Northwestern Ready To Battle For National Championship
May 14, 2008
TULSA, Okla. -- No. 1 overall seed Northwestern will face No. 16-seeded Fresno State in the third round of the NCAA championships at noon Thursday. With only 16 teams remaining, the tournament has moved to the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. Northwestern (28-1) advanced to the round of 16 for the fifth-consecutive year after 4-0 shutout victories over both Illinois-Chicago and Indiana last weekend. Last year, the 'Cats advanced to the third-round of the tournament before falling to tournament runner-up UCLA. Of the 15 additional teams remaining in the tournament, Northwestern has defeated all six that they have faced. Fresno State (22-7) joins the round of 16 after regional wins over Lamar and Arizona State. Last year, the Bulldogs also fell in the third-round to eventual national champions Georgia Tech. Northwestern and Fresno State previously met this season at the National Indoor Championships in February, with the Wildcats picking up a 4-1 victory. After losing the doubles point to the Bulldogs, Northwestern came out firing and picked up four straight singles wins to clinch the match. At No. 2, Georgia Rose (Mettawa, Ill./North Shore Country Day) won in straight sets, 6-0, 6-4. Samantha Murray (Altrincham, England, Altrincham Grammar) gave the 'Cats a 2-1 advantage with her 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win at No. 3. Nazlie Ghazal (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) and Suzie Matzenauer (Tacoma, Wash./Bellarmine) also cruised in straight sets at No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, (6-4, 6-1; 6-3, 6-1) to secure the victory for Northwestern. In a matchup that has rarely occurred, the all-time series between Northwestern and Fresno State is tied, 2-2. The Wildcats stand just four wins away from a potential national title berth. With a win over Fresno State, the 'Cats would advance to the quarterfinals and meet the winner of California and Duke at noon Saturday, May 17. Northwestern already has beaten both teams once this season. The national championship match is scheduled for 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 20. After the team champion is decided, the NCAA singles and doubles championships also will be held at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, May 21-26. Maria Mosolova, Georgia Rose, Samantha Murray and Lauren Lui will represent Northwestern for the singles championship. Rose and Lui will vie for a shot at the doubles crown. For additional tournament information, including brackets, live scoring and statistics, please visit Tulsa's official championships website. Below is the remaining team championship schedule.
Round of 16 - Noon Thursday, May 15 vs. Fresno State Quarterfinals - Noon Saturday, May 17 Semifinals - Noon Monday, May 19 Finals - 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 20
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