April 16, 2006

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Northwestern's ninth-ranked women's tennis team swept the doubles competition for the fourth-straight match, then won five of six singles matches to earn a 6-1 win over No. 46 Purdue Sunday at the Varsity Tennis Courts. With the win, Northwestern clinches the Big Ten regular-season title and improves its conference record to a perfect 9-0.

Northwestern began the day, as it has for much of the season, by sweeping all three doubles matches. The 'Cats outscored the Boilermakers by a total score of 24-14 in doubles.

Senior Jamie Peisel (Savannah, Ga./Savannah Country Day) and freshman Nazlie Ghazal (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) struck first for the 'Cats as they shutout Purdue's Brittany Minna and Anna Dzeva 8-0 at No. 3. The duo has won nine of its last 10 contests and improves to 15-3 at the No. 3 position this season with the win.

Northwestern's 10th-ranked team of senior Cristelle Grier (Epsom, England/Putney) and Alexis Prousis (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) clinched the doubles point for the Wildcats with an 8-4 victory over Purdue's Brooke Beier and Mallory Voelker at No. 1. The two now have won five of their last six matches.

Freshman Georgia Rose (Mettawa, Ill./North Shore Country Day) and senior Feriel Esseghir (Sarasota, Fla./Brickhouse Academy) secured the doubles sweep for NU by winning their seventh-straight match at No. 2 doubles. The two topped Purdue's team of Stephanie Wooten and Randi Schular 8-6, improving their record to 12-4 overall this year.

Northwestern entered singles play holding onto a 1-0 lead and it quickly won three-consecutive singles contests to secure the win.

Ghazal won her 12th-straight match of the season when she earned a win at No. 6 to extend Northwestern's lead to 2-0. She beat the Minna 6-1, 6-2 and now is 9-0 versus league competition this season.

No. 44 Rose took one step closer to making NU tennis history by taking her 25th-consecutive singles match, meaning she needs just three more wins to tie Grier's school mark of 28-striaght victories. Rose beat No. 66 Schuler 6-2, 6-2, to improve her dual record to 21-0.

The eighth-ranked All-American Grier then secured the Wildcats' 17th win of the season by taking a win at No. 2 singles. She rolled past Beier 6-1, 6-2 for her ninth win in 10 tries. Grier, who already holds the school record with 171 wins, now is second on the team with 32 singles wins this year.

Purdue made the score 4-1 when Voelker upset No. 24 Prousis at No. 3 singles. Prousis took the first set easily, but Voelker rebounded to take the second and third sets, claiming the 2-6, 6-2, 6-0 win.

Esseghir resumed the winning ways for NU when she took a win at No. 5. She defeated Dzeva 6-4, 6-2, for her ninth victory in her last 10 matches. Esseghir stands at 21-9 overall this year.

Peisel wrapped up the day for Northwestern by winning a tight third set versus Wooten at No. 4. After Peisel won the first set, Wooten came back to claim the second. In the third set the two battled back and forth, but Peisel outlasted Wooten for the 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 victory.

With the win, Northwestern improves to 17-4 overall this season, 9-0 in the Big Ten.

The 'Cats resume play with their regular-season finale as they host Ohio State at noon Sunday, April 23. The match will be played at either the Vandy Christie Tennis Center or the Combe Tennis Center, weather dependent.

Tennis Match Results
Northwestern vs Purdue
Apr 16, 2006 at West Lafayette, IN
#9 Northwestern 6, #46 Purdue 1
Singles competition:
1. #44 Georgia Rose (NU) def. #66 Randi Schuler (PUR) 6-2, 6-2
2. #8 Cristelle Grier (NU) def. Brooke Beier (PUR) 6-1, 6-2
3. Mallory Voelker (PUR) def. #24 Alexis Prousis (NU) 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
4. Jamie Peisel (NU) def. Stephanie Wooten (PUR) 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
5. Feriel Esseghir (NU) def. Anna Dzeva (PUR) 6-4, 6-2
6. Nazlie Ghazal (NU) def. Brittany Minna (PUR) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles competition:
1. Cristelle Grier/Alexis Prousis (NU) def. Brooke Beier/Mallory Voelker
(PUR) 8-4
2. Georgia Rose/Feriel Esseghir (NU) def. Stephanie Wooten/Randi Schuler
(PUR) 8-6
3. Jamie Peisel/Nazlie Ghazal (NU) def. Brittany Minna/Anna Dzeva (PUR)
8-0
Match Notes:
Northwestern 17-4, 9-0 Big Ten; National ranking #9
Purdue 11-8, 5-3 Big Ten; National ranking #46
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (6,1,2,3,5,4)