May 4, 2011

NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships -- Complete Release

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern learned on Wednesday that senior Maria Mosolova was selected to the NCAA Singles Championship while the doubles tandem of Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton each will be making their first appearance in the doubles competition.

The individual championships will both be held at Stanford University's Taube Tennis Center, May 25-30, following the completion of the NCAA Team Championship.

Mosolova got off to a 17-0 start in the dual season and now stands 21-2 with eight wins over top-75-ranked opponents on the No. 1 singles line. A three-time All-American who has twice reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Singles Championship, Mosolova finished her Big Ten dual singles career with a record of 33-3 and is 140-33 overall in her four years at Northwestern. She enters the singles draw in the 9-16 seeding grouping.

Freshman Belinda Niu appeared as the No. 8 alternate for the NCAA Singles Championship.

The underclassmen tandem of Abu Mushrefova and Hamilton held down the No. 1 doubles position for the Wildcats nearly all season, posting a 16-7 dual record. The duo picked up several impressive wins -- including victories over pairings ranked No. 4 and 6 in the nation -- that vaulted them into the top-10 in the national rankings. Last fall, Abu Mushrefova and Hamilton became the first Northwestern doubles team since 2005 to win the ITA Midwest Regional Doubles title.

Northwestern is preparing to host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Championship, May 13-14, in Evanston. The Wildcats open play against IPFW at 1 p.m. on Friday.

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