Feb. 24, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After being dealt its first loss of the regular season on Sunday, second-ranked Northwestern (8-1) travels downstate on Friday for what promises to be a good matchup with No. 39 Illinois in the 2010 Big Ten regular season opener. On Sunday, NU returns to the comforts of the Combe Tennis Center to host No. 14 Georgia Tech at 3 p.m.
Northwestern has won its last 77 matches against Big Ten opponents and has completed the Big Ten regular season with a perfect 10-0 record each of the last five seasons. Northwestern is the 11-time defending Big Ten champion, marking the second-longest title streak in the history of Big Ten women's sports.
Admission to all women's tennis home matches is free for all fans. Live stats for both matches are available by following the links below:
NU vs. Georgia Tech
Finding Its Way
Northwestern stumbled in its most recent outing against Notre Dame despite impressive wins at No. 4 and No. 6 singles by senior Lauren Lui and sophomore Elena Chernyakova, who are both unbeaten in dual matches this season. The 'Cats shuffled their doubles lineup in South Bend, pairing Stacey Lee with Maria Mosolova and Samantha Murray with Brittany Wowchuk for the first time this season, but the host Irish were still able to secure a doubles sweep. NU has won the doubles point in six of nine matches this season.
Scouting the Illini
Illinois enters Friday's match with a 3-5 overall record that includes three tight 4-3 losses to quality opponents in Florida State, Virginia and Tennessee. The Illini also are coming off a 5-2 defeat at Notre Dame last weekend, the same score by which the Fighting Irish topped Northwestern on Sunday. Illinois' Rachael White is ranked No. 85 nationally at No. 1 singles while Megan Fudge is 6-2 in dual matches at No. 2 singles with a current four-match winning streak.
On the sidelines for Illinois this weekend will be a pair of former Wildcats who now call Champaign, Ill., their home. Four-time All-American Georgia Rose and NCAA Championships qualifier Keri Robison, both 2009 graduates of Northwestern, are on the staff of head coach Michelle Dasso as an assistant coach and volunteer assistant, respectively.
Scouting the Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech is 6-2 on the year entering a difficult stretch of matches in which it faces No. 12 Clemson, No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 2 Northwestern in the span of just five days. Sophomore Irina Falconi is currently ranked as the No. 1 singles player in the nation thanks to her 18-2 overall record and her 7-1 mark in dual matches. Junior Sasha Krupina, meanwhile, checks in at No. 112 in singles.
Sunday's contest pits the winners of the last four ITA National Indoor Team Championships against each other, with Georgia having won the title in 2007 and 2008 and NU taking the crown the last two seasons. Northwestern is 4-2 all-time against Georgia Tech after beating the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta in back-to-back seasons.