Feb. 17, 2011
No. 69 Northwestern (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. No. 28 Vanderbilt (6-1, 0-0 SEC)
Friday, Feb. 18
Combe Tennis Center (2311 N Campus Drive)
Evanston, Ill. 5 p.m.
Live Scoring: NUsports.com
No. 69 Northwestern (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Northern Illinois (2-5, 0-0 MAC)
Saturday, Feb. 19
Combe Tennis Center (2311 N Campus Drive)
Evanston, Ill. 11 a.m.
Live Scoring: NUsports.com
No. 69 Northwestern (5-2, 0-0 Big Ten) vs. Western Illinois (2-3, 0-0 Summit League)
Saturday, Feb. 19
Combe Tennis Center (2311 N Campus Drive)
Evanston, Ill. 5:30 p.m.
Live Scoring: NUsports.com
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 69 Northwestern is fresh off a win over a ranked opponent in its last match and Friday evening will try to make it two in a row when it hosts No. 28 Vanderbilt out of the SEC at 5 p.m. Friday in the Combe Tennis Center. After that, the 'Cats will complete a total of three dual matches in just over 24 hours when they host Northern Illinois and Western Illinois in a Saturday doubleheader.
Scheduling Note: The 5 p.m. CT start time for NU's match against Vanderbilt on Friday is a recent change from its originally scheduled time of 6 p.m.
Admission to the Combe Tennis Center for all three matches is free and fans are invited to enjoy free pizza during intermission of the Friday night match against the Commodores. For those who can't make it out to the lakeshore facility can track live scoring of all three matches on NUsports.com.
With a 3-1 mark at home this season, NU is looking to build off a 5-2 win over William & Mary in its last outing. Doubles play has remained a source of strength for NU this season as the 'Cats, bolstered by a 6-1 showing at the No. 1 spot by Joshua Graves and Spencer Wolf, are now 17-4 in 21 dual doubles contests this season.
Scouting the Commodores
Vanderbilt shot up from No. 44 in the Campbell's/ITA College Tennis rankings to No. 28 this week thanks to back-to-back wins over top-25 opponents, first No. 23 Washington followed by 22nd-ranked Michigan. Sophomore Ryan Lipman has led the charge, going 5-2 in dual matches and earning the No. 57 spot in the national singles polls as well as the No. 33 ranking in doubles alongside Adam Baker. NU has fallen by 6-1 scores in each of its last two outings against the Commodores.
Scouting the Huskies
Under the direction of second-year head coach Patrick Fisher, Northern Illinois is coming off a 6-1 defeat at the hands of Illinois State. Sophomore Maksym Bartiuk has held on to the No. 1 singles position for much of the season, compiling a 3-4 record in dual matches. The Huskies' biggest weakness thus far has been doubles play, where they are a combined 5-30 in dual action.
Scouting the Leathernecks
Western Illinois picked up victories in its first two matches of the 2011 season before dropping three-straight, which included a 5-2 loss to Northern last Friday. The No. 1 doubles tandem of Jeff Cote and Patrick Hammers has been a strong point for the Leathernecks this season, winning four of their five contests.
Looking Ahead
NU's busy weekend is part of a four-match homestand -- the Wildcats also face Western Michigan at home on Friday, Feb. 25. After that, Northwestern will not play another home match until April 2, spending the entire month of March on the road.
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