April 23, 2009
2009 Big Ten Tournament Match Notes 
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After receiving a first round bye, No. 42 Northwestern will face tournament host No. 37 Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament Friday morning at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor. The two teams finished conference play with identical 6-4 records, but the Wolverines won the fourth seed in the tournament by virtue of their regular season win over the 'Cats on March 29. Play is set for 9 a.m. CST and live stats can be found here at the official tournament website.
Armed with its highest national ranking of the season, NU will look to avenge that loss and nab their seventh Big Ten victory. The winning team will play in the semifinal Saturday morning at 9 a.m. CST.
SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
Ranked in the top 20 early in the season, the Wolverines fought its way through a seven-match losing streak to finish the conference season with a 6-4 record. They upset No. 11 Illinois last weekend with a 4-3 decision behind strong doubles play and wins at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 singles.
The Wildcats and Wolverines share consistency and depth in their singles lineups. U-M has a combined 47-34 (.580) record at the bottom three positions while Northwestern has a 58-17 (.773) in those spots.
While the singles will be a showdown, the doubles point will also prove critical as the Wolverines have won 15 of 25 doubles points while the Wildcats have won 19 of 25. Michigan won the doubles point in the March 28 regular season match between the two teams.
The Wolverines hold a 64-25-1 edge in the all-time series.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern emerged with a 5-2 win over Penn State (13-12, 4-6) Sunday afternoon to complete its conference slate with a win. With the win, the 'Cats finished tied for fourth in the regular season standings and continue to build a strong case for the NCAA tournament.
The 'Cats have not made the tournament since the 2005 season, when they finished with an identical 6-4 record in conference play. After a loss to No. 2 Ohio State Friday afternoon, the Wildcats bounced back against the Nittany Lions and swept all three doubles matches. The Wildcats have won the doubles point in 19 of 25 duals this season, which has proved critical since they have played in 16 duals with scores of 5-2 closer.