Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Host Ball State and No. 18 North Carolina
1/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 26, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern (2-1) faces Ball State (2-1) and 18th-ranked North Carolina (2-0) at Combe Tennis Center this weekend in an effort to rebound from a 5-2 loss to Oklahoma last Friday. The Wildcats will take on Ball State at 6 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28 before finishing the weekend with a 1 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 29 bout against the Tar Heels.
The `Cats hold a slight historical advantage over Ball State with a 11-9 all-time mark against the Cardinals. Northwestern is 1-2 all-time against North Carolina.
Returning seven letterwinners from a 2004 squad that finished second in the Mid-American Conference, Ball State started its 2005 season by sweeping both IUPUI and Valparaiso 7-0 in its home-opener. The Cardinals, however, fell 6-1 to fifth-ranked Illinois last Saturday.
Ball State's Matt Baccarani and Patrick Thompson proved to be a bright spot against the Illini, as the duo defeated the fourth-ranked doubles pair of Ryler DeHeart and GD Jones. Baccarani was named the MAC's Men's Tennis Player of the Week for his efforts.
North Carolina heads into its weekend with a 2-0 record after sweeping Davidson and North Carolina A&T 7-0. The Tar Heels will travel to 34th-ranked Notre Dame Saturday, Jan. 29 before coming to Evanston to battle the `Cats Sunday afternoon.
Geoff Boyd and Brad Pomeroy rank ninth as a doubles tandem, while Raian Luchici is the 66th-ranked singles player.
The match against the Tar Heels marks the fifth-straight home competition for the `Cats, who next head to Harvard Feb. 6.
