Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Closes Big Ten Slate at Home
4/21/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 21, 2011
No. 75 Northwestern (11-11, 2-6 Big Ten) vs. No. 52 Michigan State (16-8, 2-7 Big Ten)
Friday, April 22
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. • 6 p.m. CT
Live Results: NUsports.com
No. 75 Northwestern (11-11, 2-6 Big Ten) vs. No. 27 Michigan (12-9, 5-4 Big Ten)
Saturday, April 23
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. • 4 p.m.
Live Results: NUsports.com
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will end the regular season at home -- where it is 7-3 in 2011 -- this weekend when it takes on two strong Big Ten opponents. The 75th-ranked Wildcats will host No. 52 Michigan State at 6 p.m. Friday, before No. 27 Michigan comes to town at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
Both matches will be played indoors at the Combe Indoor Tennis Center. Admission is free for all fans and Friday night's match against the Spartans will offer free pizza as part of NU's hosting of High School Night.
Northwestern stands in a three-way tie for seventh place in the current Big Ten standings with a 2-6 league mark. NU, which has lost three league outings by narrow 4-3 decisions, holds a half-match lead on 10th-place Michigan State (2-7) entering their meeting Friday.
NU came up short in its last two outings, falling on the road to No. 23 Indiana, 5-2, and in a close match at Purdue, 4-3. This weekend the 'Cats will again rely on the help of Spencer Wolf, who was 2-0 in singles last week in a run that included a defeat of 114th-ranked Josh MacTaggart of IU. Wolf's 11 singles wins this season leads all Wildcats.
Scouting the Spartans
No. 52 Michigan State (16-8, 2-7 Big Ten) won their second Big Ten match of the season last weekend with a big, 4-3, win over 60th-ranked Iowa, but fell the next day to No. 17 Illinois, 5-2. The Spartans have played 17 matches at home this season, as opposed to seven on the road, earning a 4-3 record away from East Lansing.
The Spartans come in with a solid mix of experienced players and young talent. Freshman Aaron Pfister leads the Spartans with 19 wins in singles play, and sophomore Denis Bogatov has nine wins at the No. 1 spot. Fellow seniors Jason Norville and John Stratton team up to form MSU's No. 1 doubles pair, having won eight matches together.
Northwestern is 4-1 against Michigan State under head coach Arvid Swan, and have won the last two meetings, most recently a 6-1 win in East Lansing last season.
Scouting the Wolverines
No. 27 Michigan (12-9, 5-4 Big Ten) went 1-1 last weekend in Ann Arbor, falling 5-2 to 17th-ranked Illinois, and beating No. 60 Iowa, 5-2. Michigan is led by sophomore standout Evan King, who is ranked 21st in the country with an 18-3 singles record, and senior Jason Jung, who boasts a 16-5 mark. The two team up as the No. 1 duo for the Wolverines as well, and have earned eight victories in dual matches.
Michigan has won the last eight matches against Northwestern, most recently beating the 'Cats, 5-2, in Ann Arbor last year.
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With the regular season in the books, Northwestern will head to Bloomington, Ind., to compete in the Big Ten Tournament, scheduled for April 28-May 1. Stay close to the action by visiting ••••••
