Northwestern University Athletics
NCAA Championships Begin Friday for Top-Ranked Northwestern
5/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 6, 2009
2009 NCAA Tournament Bracket
NUsports.com Tournament Central
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Already with an ITA Indoor Team championship and a Big Ten title in tow, Northwestern is ready to go for the trifecta by adding an NCAA championship to its list of accomplishments. The top-seeded Wildcats go for the first of what they hope will be six straight wins when they host No. 72 Miami (Ohio) at 1 p.m. Friday in the NCAA Regional as the RedHawks make their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
A win by Northwestern against Miami sets up a second-round match at noon Saturday against the winner of Friday's opening match between No. 26 Kentucky and No. 37 Ohio State.
Admission to NCAA Regional matches is priced at $7 for adults and $4 for youth, students and senior citizens. All matches will take place at the outdoor Vandy Christie Tennis Center on the campus of Northwestern unless rain or inclement weather shifts the action indoors to the Combe Tennis Center on the Evanston lakefront.
Northwestern (25-1), led by No. 1-ranked Maria Mosolova (32-6) in singles, has won 17 matches in a row and has not lost since the last day of February in a 4-3 setback to Duke. The 'Cats are 6-0 all-time against Miami, which swept its way through the MAC Championship as the top seed in the conference.
Miami will attempt to become the first team to score a team point against Northwestern since William & Mary did so on April 9. NU has reeled off seven straight shutouts and lost just one of the combined 49 singles and doubles matches it has played and finished since that date.
NU also boasts an advantage in the all-time series against both possible second-round opponents. Northwestern has already faced Ohio State twice in its last five matches, the first resulting in a 7-0 dual sweep and the second ending in a 4-0 NU win in the semifinal of the Big Ten Tournament. Meanwhile, the Wildcats are 8-2 historically against Kentucky.
A pair of victories at home this weekend sends Northwestern into the NCAA Tournament's round of 16 in College Station, Texas, which is serving as the host of both the men's and women's 2009 NCAA Championships.
