Jan. 15, 2015
| #34 Northwestern (0-0) at #28 NC State (0-0) |
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| Date | Friday, Jan. 16 | 3 p.m. |
| Location | J.W. Isenhour Tennis Center | Raleigh, N.C. |
| Live Scoring | |
| #34 Northwestern (0-0) at #19 Vanderbilt (0-0) |
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| Date | Sunday, Jan. 18 | Noon |
| Location | Currey Tennis Center | Nashville, Tenn. |
| Live Scoring | |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 34 Northwestern opens its dual match season this weekend with two road trips to the South. The `Cats meet No. 28 North Carolina State on Friday for a 3 p.m. match, then travel to No. 19 Vanderbilt to play at noon Sunday.
After playing three tournaments in the fall, NU starts the spring at No. 34 in the nation. Sophomore Strong Kirchheimer broke into the top-ranked singles players and checks in at No. 108.
The Wildcats finished 21-11 last year, their second straight season posting 20+ wins. They also made their third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.
NC State begins the spring season ranked No. 28. The Wolfpack boasts three ranked singles players as well: No. 39 Nick Horton, No. 51 Austin Powell, and No. 123 Robbie Mudge. Mudge is also one half of the No. 19 doubles pair with teammate Ian Dempster.
In 2014, the Pack went 18-10 and made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament. The `Cats beat NC State last year in thrilling fashion, claiming a 5-2 victory in Evanston.
No. 19 Vanderbilt begins 2015 with a full weekend. The Commodores play Georgia State and Lipscomb on Friday before hosting the `Cats on Sunday. In singles rankings, Vandy's Gonzales Austin sits at No. 10, and Rhys Johnson is No. 73. These two also make up the No. 5 doubles duo.
The Commodores posted a 17-11 overall record and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament last year. The `Cats traveled to Nashville last spring as well, but fell 4-2 to the home team.
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