EVANSTON, Ill. — Intercollegiate Tennis Association rules, when in affect, dictate that a match may not be played outdoors if the temperatures reach "a high of less than 50 degrees." Typically, when the weather takes a turn for any chills remotely in that vicinity, play is held indoors.
But not this weekend.
After a marathon of play Friday because rain forced the annual Wildcat Duals women's tennis tournament into Northwestern's domed arena, school officials were insistent on moving the tournament to larger facilities outside on Saturday, despite weather that often dipped into the mid-40 degree range and forced some players to negotiate hitting backhands with layered attire and occasional ski caps.
"I'm from Los Angeles and this is freezing for me," Badger freshman Elizabeth Carpenter commented after Saturday play. "Playing in the cold … gets my hands really cold [and] I feel stiff."
Fortunately, by Sunday, temperatures surpassed the 60-degree mark and athletes were left with only strong winds off of Lake Michigan with which to cope.
"The weather was a lot nicer today compared to the other days," sophomore Chelsea Nusslock commented at the conclusion of the tournament Sunday. "The wind was a big factor, especially if you were against the wind."
Still, the Wisconsin squad managed a relatively successful weekend in its first midwestern tournament of the year.
"We're either young by status or we're young by inexperience," head coach Patti Henderson said. "So just getting matches in [is important]."
And the weekend would provide that experience for the Wisconsin squad, both new and old.
"I'm happy with [the weekend]," Lexi Goldin, the team's lone senior, said after going 2-2 in singles play over the frame. "Overall, I think I got a lot of good match play; consistent, good match play, which is what I needed. So I'm happy."
On the doubles front, Goldin was paired with freshman Ali Salomone, earning a split record in their four doubles matches (6-8, 8-3, 5-8, 8-4). In singles play, Salomone would go 1-3, winning her first match in commanding fashion (6-2, 6-3) and forcing a third set in her penultimate effort (2-6, 7-6 [7-5], 1-6).
The Badgers' other two freshman, Erin Jobe and Carpenter, also enjoyed on-court time at the Northwestern tournament, going 0-4 and 2-2, respectively, with one of Carpenter's victories coming by default on Saturday when an injured opponent was unable to compete.
The team's only other new member, sophomore transfer Morgan Tuttle, emerged victorious in her second and third matches on the weekend, (6-3, 5-7, 6-4) and (6-3, 5-7, 6-1), respectively, before dropping her final effort (2-6, 3-6).
With sophomore Caitlin Burke in Los Angeles for the Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-American Championships and sophomore Nicole Beck injured, the squad's only veterans aside from Goldin were junior Kaylan Caiati and sophomore Chelsea Nusslock. Caiati took Friday off to tend to academic affairs; arriving Saturday and sporting a notably more powerful serve from last season, despite a spotty record on the weekend.
"I wish I could have done better," Caiati said. "I need to work on being more aggressive, moving into the court and being more of a threat to my opponent."
Nusslock earned a trio of singles victories at the tournament, including a three-set Sunday match (7-5, 3-6, 6-4) that concluded with her opponent beginning the last game down 15-love thanks to an unsportsmanlike penalty when she slammed a ball during a break.
"It was nice because not only was it a point, but she was so mad from it that she … told her coach to walk away [during the break]," Nusslock said. "Then she missed a ball [in the last game] and she didn't miss much at all during the match."
