EVANSTON, Ill. – No. 45 Northwestern travels to Champaign for an in-state rivalry match against No. 15 Illinois at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 8.
The match will mark the final of four straight road matches for the #B1GCats, who are coming off a 4-3 come-from-behind victory at No. 37 Louisville.
Trace Pickens and Nick Brookes were the first to put the Wildcats on the board, cruising to straight-set singles victories. After Louisville claimed the two straight matches, Northwestern needed to win its next two singles matches to secure the victory. Simon Bratholm and Antonioni Fasano delivered. They each dominated in their third and final sets, winning 6-2 and 6-3 respectively to give the 'Cats their sixth win in their last eight matches.
Illinois enters the matchup with a 5-5 record, but all of its losses have come at the hands of top-15 opponents. Their most recent match was a 4-0 loss to No. 12 TCU. The Fighting Illini boast three nationally-ranked singles players, with Junior Aleks Kovacevic leading the pack at No. 9 in the nation.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back at the Combe Tennis Center Sunday for a doubleheader against Texas Tech and UIC starting at noon and 5:30 pm. Due to construction on Lincoln Street starting at 5 pm, please use the alternate route which can be found here.
The match will mark the final of four straight road matches for the #B1GCats, who are coming off a 4-3 come-from-behind victory at No. 37 Louisville.
Trace Pickens and Nick Brookes were the first to put the Wildcats on the board, cruising to straight-set singles victories. After Louisville claimed the two straight matches, Northwestern needed to win its next two singles matches to secure the victory. Simon Bratholm and Antonioni Fasano delivered. They each dominated in their third and final sets, winning 6-2 and 6-3 respectively to give the 'Cats their sixth win in their last eight matches.
Illinois enters the matchup with a 5-5 record, but all of its losses have come at the hands of top-15 opponents. Their most recent match was a 4-0 loss to No. 12 TCU. The Fighting Illini boast three nationally-ranked singles players, with Junior Aleks Kovacevic leading the pack at No. 9 in the nation.
Chicago's Big Ten Team will be back at the Combe Tennis Center Sunday for a doubleheader against Texas Tech and UIC starting at noon and 5:30 pm. Due to construction on Lincoln Street starting at 5 pm, please use the alternate route which can be found here.