April 7, 2011
Northwestern (10-8, 1-3 Big Ten) at No. 57 Iowa (8-7, 2-3 Big Ten)
Friday, April 8
Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex
Iowa City, Iowa 2 p.m.
Northwestern (10-8, 1-3 Big Ten) at No. 15 Illinois (11-8, 3-2 Big Ten)
Sunday, April 10
Atkins Tennis Center
Champaign, Ill. Noon
Live Results
EVANSTON, ILL. -- After a rollercoaster weekend of Big Ten play at home, Northwestern turns its attention to its difficult four-match road swing, beginning with stops in Iowa and Illinois this weekend. The Wildcats, currently 1-3 in the Big Ten, can move up in the standings with win over the 57th-ranked Hawkeyes, who stand one spot ahead of NU with a 2-3 league mark.
Coming off a gritty, 4-3 win against Penn State for its first Big Ten victory this season, Northwestern has some momentum to finish the regular season strong. All six of Northwestern's remaining Big Ten opponents are ranked in the top-65 of the Campbell's/ITA College Tennis team rankings, released on April 5, including three in the top-25.
As they have done in 13 of 18 dual matches this season, the 'Cats look to win the first team point following doubles with Joshua Graves and Spencer Wolf leading the way. The duo has 13 doubles wins this season, leaving them four away from having the most wins for a doubles team in 12 years for Northwestern.
Scouting Iowa
No. 57 Iowa is coming off a 4-3 win at No. 64 Purdue and a 7-0 loss to No. 27 Indiana last weekend. The Hawkeyes (8-7, 2-3 Big Ten) find themselves playing much better at home than they do on the road, as they are 5-2 in the comforts of Iowa City.
Junior classmates Will Vasos and Marc Bruche, who are 9-4 in doubles play this season, lead the way for the Hawkeyes. Vasos also leads Iowa with a 10-3 mark in singles.
Northwestern is 3-2 against Iowa in the last five years with all five meetings coming in the regular season. All but one of those matches - a 4-3 NU win in 2009 - ended in a 6-1 decision.
Scouting Illinois
Northwestern travels to Champaign to take on in-state rival, No. 15 Illinois on Sunday. The Illini (11-8, 3-2 Big Ten) are an experienced group led by junior Dennis Nevolo standout sophomore Stephen Hoh who have both amassed more than 20 wins this season in singles play.
NU has not faired well against Illinois in recent years, going 0-6 against the Illini since 2006. Last season's match, a 5-2 Illinois win, featured a clash of top-35 teams that went down to the wire with five singles going into a tiebreaker set.
Looking Ahead
Four more ranked teams loom on the horizon for NU as the 'Cats continue their road trip with visits No. 27 Indiana and No. 64 Purdue on April 15 and April 17, respectively. Northwestern then settles down in Evanston to finish out the regular season against No. 23 Michigan and No. 60 Michigan State.
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