Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Enter Weekend With a Pair of Conference Matchups
3/30/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 30, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After being idle for nearly three weeks, Northwestern's 59th-ranked men's tennis team is set to take the court versus a pair of Big Ten opponents this weekend. The 'Cats travel to University Park, Pa., for a 3 p.m. match versus No. 46 Penn State on Friday, March 31, before heading to Bloomington, Ind., to play Indiana at noon Sunday, April 2. The 'Cats have won four of their last five matches.
"This will be one of the most challenging weekends of the season for us," head coach Paul Torricelli said. "Penn State is off to a great start and is having one of its best seasons ever. They always play great doubles and they are especially tough at home. I expect both matches to be especially close."
Northwestern enters the weekend after inclement weather prevented it from playing its match versus Denver, which was scheduled for March 23. In the Wildcats' last contest they topped then-No. 44 Arizona State 5-2 on March 6, in what head coach Paul Torricelli regarded as their "most complete match of the season."
"Our guys are very eager to play and in a great frame of mind," Torricelli said. "The break after finals should help. Of most importance is the possibility of getting Matt Christian (Troy, Mich./Brother Rice) back in the line-up this weekend. If he can regain the form he showed in early January, it will give us a huge boost."
Through their last competition, Northwestern has been riding the hot hand of junior Willy Lock (Lima, Peru/Markham College). Lock has come through with a plethora of notable performances at the No. 2 singles spot this season and is riding a six-match winning streak heading into this weekend.
The Wildcats also have relied heavily on junior Christian Tempke (Wentorf, Germany/Gymnasium Lohbrügge), who is the nation's 51st-ranked singles player according to the March 21 ITA Fila Rankings. Tempke is 8-5 this season at the No. 1 spot and has taken wins over two top-15 ranked opponents in North Carolina's fifth-ranked Raian Luchici and Wake Forest's then-No. 11 Todd Paul.
Senior captain Adam Schaechterle (Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine) has been a bright spot for the Wildcats this season as well. Schaechterle boasts a team-high 16 singles wins this year and is tied with Lock for a team-best 11-3 dual record. Schaechterle has won six of his last seven singles matches.
In doubles, the Wildcats are led by the team of Schaechterle and Christian, which has compiled a 6-6 record in dual matches.
The Nittany Lions enter Friday's dual after having posted 7-0 shutout wins in four of their last six matches, giving them nine shutouts on the season. Penn State is 11-2 overall, 1-2 in the Big Ten, and has taken nine of its last 11 matches.
Their last time out, the Nittany Lions dropped a 6-1 decision to Indiana. PSU took a win at No. 2 doubles and No. 6 singles, but the Hoosiers proved to be too much.
In singles, Penn State is led by senior Mark Berry, who has compiled an 18-9 overall record this season. Barry is 9-4 this season while playing at the No. 1 spot.
Freshman Adam Slagter and sophomore Michael James have also been impressive this season for the Nittany Lions. Both stand tied for a team-best 23-6 overall record this season. Slagter has compiled a 13-3 dual record while playing at the No. 2 through No. 5 singles spots, while James has a 9-3 dual record after playing primarily at the No. 4 position.
In doubles, PSU has three teams with over 10 overall wins this year. The team of Ryan Berger and Bradley Hunter stands at 15-5 this season, 9-3 in dual competition while seeing most of time at the No. 2 doubles position.
Barry and Slagter combine for PSU's No. 1 doubles team. The duo is 13-4 overall this year, while compiling a 9-3 record in duals.
Malcolm Scatliffe and James have put together a 13-5 doubles record this season. The two have played all three doubles positions this spring and are 6-3 in duals.
The 'Cats have dominated the Nittany Lions in the all-time series, leading PSU 15-1-0.
Indiana enters the match red hot as the Hoosiers have won seven-consecutive matches. IU is 12-6 overall this season and 1-2 in conference play.
"Indiana has no weaknesses anywhere in the line-up and is one of the most dangerous teams in the conference," Toriccelli said. "Some of our most exciting matches in recent years have been against the Hoosiers, in particular our quarterfinal at the Big 10 Tournament last year."
The Hoosiers are led by senior Dmytro Ishtuganov, who is 17-11 overall this year, including a dual mark of 10-7. Ishtuganov has won his last three matches.
Sophomore Dara McLoughlin also has been a key ingredient for IU this season, as he is tied for a team-high 18 singles wins, and has compiled a team-best 12-6 dual record while competing at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. McLoughlin has been hot as of late, taking nine-consecutive singles matches.
Sophomore Michael McCarthy also has 18 singles wins this season. McCarthy is 11-6 in duals this year while competing primarily at the No. 6 singles position.
Ishtuganov and McLoughlin combine to form Indiana's No. 1 doubles team. The tandem is 9-6 in duals this season and has taken two in a row entering this weekend.
Northwestern leads the all-time series with the Hoosiers 40-34-0.
