March 20, 2014
#9 Northwestern (8-3) vs. #26 Georgia Tech (7-4)
Friday, March 21, 2014 6 p.m.
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill.
Live Scoring
EVANSTON, Ill. - After a two week break from action, the ninth-ranked Northwestern women's tennis team will host Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. Friday night at the Combe Tennis Center. Friday's match is part of a three-match trek through the ACC that will see NU take on the 26th-ranked Yellow Jackets, No. 10 North Carolina and No. 1 Duke.
The Wildcats have been rolling of late, winning three straight conference matches, including 7-0 shutouts at Indiana and Illinois. The other match was a nail-biting 4-3 victory over Purdue, in which Belinda Niu outlasted Daniela Vidal at No. 2 singles to claim the win for the `Cats.
Niu is currently on a 12-match winning streak and has amassed an 8-0 record in the No. 2 spot. Fellow senior Veronica Corning is undefeated in conference play and has knocked off five ranked players in 2014. Nida Hamilton has also been dominant so far, compiling a 5-0 mark in singles play. Northwestern finds success when winning the doubles point, as the team is 7-0 when doing so.
Three Wildcats currently claim spots in the ITA national singles rankings. Niu is the highest-ranked player for NU at No. 32. Corning is ranked 36th, and freshman Jillian Rooney comes in at No. 118. The first and second doubles teams for Northwestern are also ranked. Corning and Alicia Barnett are ranked No. 47, while Hamilton and Maddie Lipp find a spot at No. 62.
The 7-4 Yellow Jackets have alternated wins and losses in their last six matches. Their last match resulted in a 7-0 win at Maryland. Northwestern will be the second top-10 team that Georgia Tech has faced this season. The Yellow Jackets lost to No. 7 Georgia by a 7-0 margin on Feb. 23.
The doubles tandem of Kendal Woodard and Megan Kurey is currently ranked second by the ITA. Woodard and Kurey are 8-2 on the season and are projected to match up against the NU duo of Corning and Barnett. Georgia Tech does not have any nationally-ranked singles players.
Northwestern leads the all-time series over the Yellow Jackets 6-4. Last season, NU was upended in Atlanta, 4-3. The Wildcats last defeated Georgia Tech, 6-1, in 2010.