Sophomore Lauren Lui earned the clincher for the Wildcats at No. 4 singles.

May 15, 2008

TULSA, Okla. -- Top-seeded Northwestern will advance to the quarterfinal round after a 4-1 victory over 16th-seeded Fresno State Thursday. With just eight teams remaining in the quest for a national title, the Wildcats will face California in the next round at noon Saturday, May 17.

Northwestern will compete in the quarterfinals for the second time in three seasons. In 2006, the 'Cats fell to USC with just eight teams remaining. As a team, Northwestern has reached the quarterfinal round on three occasions, and has never advanced to the semifinals.

The Wildcats swept the doubles point from Fresno State and earned a 1-0 match advantage heading into singles play. At No. 3, Maria Mosolova (Moscow, Russia/No. 204) and Nazlie Ghazal (Temecula, Calif./Chaparral) cruised to an 8-2 victory over Danon Beatty and Jacqueline Haskett, setting the early tone for the 'Cats.

A short time later, Samantha Murray (Altrincham, England/Altrincham Grammar) and Suzie Matzenauer (Tacoma, Wash./Bellermine) secured the doubles point for Northwestern with an 8-5 win over Renata Kucerkova and Anastasia Petukhova. The match at No. 1 featuring Georgia Rose (Mettawa, Ill./North Shore Country Day) and Lauren Lui (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid) was abandoned.

With the momentum in their favor, the 'Cats took a 2-0 match advantage when Matzenauer continued her domination from No. 6. A straight set victory over Danon Beatty, 6-2, 6-3, improved Matzenauer to 27-2 in dual competition this season.

Lui fought with determination and was able to clinch the match for Wildcats, 4-1, with her 7-6, 6-2 win over Tinesta Rowe. Lui set a team-high 19-match winning streak this season and improves to an unbelievable 22-0 from No. 4 this season.

Northwestern will return to action at noon Saturday, May 17, when it meets California in the quarterfinals. In their previous meeting this season, the Wildcats defeated California 4-0 during the National Indoor Championships in February.

The NCAA Championships are taking place at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Tulsa. The team championship runs May 15-20, with the singles and doubles championships being held at the same venue, May 21-26. For additional tournament information, including brackets, live stats, video and statistics, please visit Tulsa's Official championship homepage.

Singles competition
1. Maria Mosolova (NU) def. Melanie Gloria (CSUF) 6-3, 6-2
2. Anastasia Petukhova (CSUF) def. Georgia Rose (NU) 6-4, 6-4
3. Samantha Murray (NU) vs. Renata Kucerkova (CSUF) 6-7, 5-4, unfinished
4. Lauren Lui (NU) def. Tinesta Rowe (CSUF) 7-6 (7-4), 6-2
5. Nazlie Ghazal (NU) vs. Jacqueline Haskett (CSUF) 6-3, 4-6, unfinished
6. Suzie Matzenauer (NU) def. Danon Beatty (CSUF) 6-2, 6-3

Doubles competition
1. Melanie Gloria/Tinesta Rowe (CSUF) def. Georgia Rose/Lauren Lui (NU) 5-4
2. Samantha Murray/Suzie Matzenauer (NU) def. Renata Kucerkova/Anastasia Petukhova (CSUF) 8-5
3. Maria Mosolova/Nazlie Ghazal (NU) def. Danon Beatty/Jacqueline Haskett (CSUF) 8-2

Match Notes
Fresno State 22-7; National ranking #16
Northwestern 28-1; National ranking #1
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (6,1,2,4)
NCAA Third Round (Round of 16)