Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Enter NCAA Championships as Overall No. 1 Seed
4/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 28, 2009
NUsports.com Tournament Central
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern, which has been ranked atop the Campbell/ITA College Tennis poll every ranking period this season, has drawn the top seed in the 2009 NCAA Championships for the second straight season. NU begins play in the tournament on Friday, May 8, against No. 72 Miami (Ohio) at home in Evanston.
In addition to the RedHawks, the 25-1 Wildcats also will be hosting Big Ten foe and 37th-ranked Ohio State as well as No. 26 Kentucky. Northwestern will face the winner of that match on Saturday, May 9, should it advance past Miami (Ohio).
"As was the case last year, it's quite an honor to be deemed the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament," said head coach Claire Pollard. "These are three good teams coming our way and we need to come out hungry and focused in order to be successful."
Fresh off its second consecutive one-loss regular season and 11th straight Big Ten championship, NU is aiming to tack on six wins to its current 17-match winning streak in order to hoist its first NCAA championship trophy.
Northwestern is 6-0 all-time against Miami (Ohio), which is making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championships after sweeping its way through the MAC Championship as the league's top seed. Kentucky, against whom Northwestern is 8-2 all time, is 12-10 overall this season but won just three matches in a difficult Southeastern Conference. Ohio State, which finished fourth in the Big Ten this year, saw its conference tournament come to an end on Saturday with a 4-0 sweep at the hands of Northwestern in the semifinal.
The team that advances through the first two rounds moves on to the round of 16 at Texas A&M in College Station, where the remainder of the NCAA Championships will be played out on both the men's and women's sides.
Below is a look at the schedule for the regional competition at Northwestern. Check back to NUsports.com in the coming days for further information about the event.
First Round — Friday, May 8
10 a.m.: No. 26 Kentucky vs. No. 37 Ohio State
1 p.m.: No. 1 Northwestern vs. No. 72 Miami (Ohio)
Second Round — Saturday, May 9
Noon: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2
