April 12, 2012
No. 11 Northwestern (13-7, 6-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 52 Penn State (11-7, 3-3 Big Ten)
Saturday, April 14
Vandy Christie Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. 11 a.m.
Live Results: NUsports.com
Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
No. 11 Northwestern (13-7, 6-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 61 Ohio State (8-12, 3-4 Big Ten)
Sunday, April 15
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. 11 a.m.
Live Results: NUsports.com
Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After winning all five matches on its recent road trip and now on the verge of cracking the top 10, No. 11 Northwestern returns to the familiar confines of the Vandy Christie Tennis Center to begin a three-match homestand Friday. The Wildcats will welcome Penn State and Ohio State on Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and conclude the stretch with a contest against Purdue on April 20.
Road Warriors:
Northwestern recently completed a perfect 5-0 stretch away from home. The jaunt began with wins at No. 32 Minnesota and Wisconsin before winning the final nonconference match of the season at No. 18 Notre Dame on April 4. The trip concluded this past weekend with a seven-point shutout against Michigan State and a thrilling one-point win at No. 15 Michigan. The 'Cats are 8-3 in true road matches this season.
Battling The Best:
The Wildcats, once again, have taken on the best of the best that collegiate tennis has to offer this season. Northwestern has played 14 of its 20 dual matches against teams ranked in the top 40 according to the ITA poll. The 'Cats have won seven of those battles with wins coming over No. 8 North Carolina, No. 9 Virginia, No. 15 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Michigan, No. 18 Notre Dame, No. 32 Michigan and No. 39 Nebraska (ranking on date of match). Four of NU's losses this season have come against teams ranked 12th or higher.
Climbing The Chart:
With two wins over top-20 foes, the 'Cats made a huge surge in the latest ITA team poll that was released late Tuesday. Northwestern climbed three spots from 14th to No. 11 this week. Of the teams listed in the top 20, only No. 7 Alabama (from No. 11) and No. 18 Clemson (from No. 24) made larger leaps than the Wildcats.
Personal Praise:
Northwestern boasts two of its singles players and one of its doubles tandems in the latest Campbell's/ITA rankings. Kate Turvy has ascended to 13th this week, up from her previous spot at No. 21 on March 27. The junior has been ranked as high as 11th this season (Feb. 16). Junior Brittany Wowchuk also checks into the singles poll this week at No. 62.
Linda Abu Mushrefova and Nida Hamilton are ranked as the No. 19 doubles team, according to the ITA. The pair has four wins together this spring, but has been paired up only 10 times.
Turvy Honored Twice:
Northwestern junior Kate Turvy was tabbed Tuesday as the Big Ten Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. Turvy was spectacular last week with three singles wins and two more in doubles play. After beating ND's No. 54 Shannon Mathews, the junior was flawless against MSU as she and Belinda Niu knocked off their opponents in doubles play, 8-0. The success carried over into singles play, where she blanked Olga Chernova, 6-0, 6-0. Turvy saved her top performance of the week for last when she upset 10th-ranked Emina Bektas of Michigan Sunday in straight sets to help the Wildcats hold off the 15th-ranked Wolverines, 4-3.
Turvy was also named Big Ten Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career earlier this season on Jan. 24.
Going Streaking:
Three Northwestern student-athletes currently own impressive winning streaks in singles play. Kate Turvy and Brittany Wowchuk have each won five straight contests, while Nida Hamilton owns the longest active streak on the roster with six straight wins. Turvy has won nine of her last 10 matches.
Double Up:
The top-performing doubles duo this season for Northwestern has been the team of Kate Turvy and Belinda Niu. The pair posted nine consecutive wins together to start the season and has an 11-2 record overall in 2012. Turvy and Niu are 1-0 at the No. 1 spot, 3-2 at No. 2 and 7-0 at the third position.
Veronica's Victories:
Sophomore Veronica Corning opened the Big Ten slate with six straight singles wins before falling against Michigan's No. 114 Mimi Nguyen on Sunday. Corning, who transferred to Northwestern to begin the winter quarter, has 10 wins overall this spring in singles competition.
Scouting the Nittany Lions:
No. 52 Penn State comes to Evanston with a record of 11-7 overall in 2012 and a mark of 3-3 in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions had dropped three matches in a row before knocking off Wisconsin, 4-3, on April 8.
Penn State's squad has been paced in singles play this spring by Petra Januskova, who is ranked No. 74 in the ITA singles poll. Januskova has occupied the No. 1 position in all 18 matches for the Nittany Lions and owns a 15-3 record.
In doubles play, Januskova teams with Chelsea Utting to form the 84th-ranked tandem in the country. Januskova and Utting have nine wins together, five more than the next closest pair.
Scouting the Buckeyes:
No. 61 Ohio State jumped back into the ITA rankings this week after notching 4-3 wins over both Wisconsin and No. 33 Minnesota last weekend. The Buckeyes are 8-12 overall in 2012 and 3-4 in the Big Ten.
Ohio State does not currently have any players listed in either the singles or doubles polls. In singles, Kelsey Dieters and Gabby Steele have each won 13 times apiece in dual matches. Fidan Manashirova and Kelsey Haviland have been the most consistent threat in doubles action, combining for 11 wins in the format.
Series Histories:
Northwestern has never dropped a match against Penn State, winning all 27 of the previous affairs.
The Wildcats hold a 33-6 all-time advantage against Ohio State. The last win in the series for the Buckeyes came on April 13, 2003 when they took down the 'Cats, 4-3, in Columbus, Ohio.
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