Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Hosts High School Night Against Notre Dame Tuesday
2/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 6, 2012
No. 62 Northwestern (5-0, 0-0 B1G) vs. No. 30 Notre Dame (5-3, 0-0 Big East)
Tuesday, February 7
Combe Tennis Center
Evanston, Ill. • 5:30 p.m.
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will look to extend its season-opening winning streak to six matches on Tuesday evening when it welcomes the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to Combe Tennis Center for a nonconference affair at 5:30 p.m. on High School Night at the home of the Wildcats.
After taking a nearly two-week hiatus from competition, the 'Cats (5-0, 0-0 B1G) returned to the courts on Saturday against the Western Michigan Broncos. Northwestern began the afternoon by sweeping all three doubles matches to secure a 1-0 lead. As a squad, the Wildcats improved to 14-1 in partnered matches; the No. 1 team of Josh Graves (Milwaukee, Wis./Nicolet) and Spencer Wolf (Coral Springs, Fla./Laurel Springs) improved its mark to a spotless 5-0 with an 8-4 win over the Broncos.
With the doubles point in hand, the 'Cats raced out to a fast start by winning the first set in five of six singles battles. Graves and Wolf were able to polish off their respective opponents in straight sets, while sophomore Raleigh Smith (Miami, Fla./Gulliver Prep) followed suit against Zeyad Montasser at No. 4 singles to clinch the match in Northwestern's favor.
No. 1 Sidarth Balaji (Fairfax, Va,/Fairfax) and No. 5 Alex Pasareanu (Bluffton, S.C./Heritage Academy) were on the short end of their matches. Balaji fell in three sets, while Pasareanu was edged in a tight contest, 6-2, 7-6 (11-9).
Freshman Nikhil Jayashankar (Saratoga, Calif./Saratoga) continued to shine for the Wildcats at the No. 6 singles position. The newcomer improved to 4-0 on the young season after outlasting Aaron Wong in three sets, 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (7-4).
The Fighting Irish, ranked No, 30 by the ITA, come to town with a record of 5-3 on the year. Two of Notre Dame's three losses have come against Big Ten teams, Illinois and Indiana, while the third came last time out at Duke on Sunday. Greg Andrews leads the squad in dual matches this season with seven wins at No. 2. Casey Watt has played No. 1 for the Irish all season and has a record of 4-4.
Northwestern narrowly trails the all-time series between the two schools, 37-40. The last win for the Wildcats over Notre Dame in a dual match came on February 22, 2003 in South Bend, Ind. Former NU standout and assistant coach Adam Schaecterle clinched the match with his win at No. 5 singles.
Tuesday is designated as one of two High School Nights on the Wildcats' schedule this season. Fans will be able to enjoy free admission and free pizza when Northwestern hosts Notre Dame. This season's second High School Night will take place on Friday, March 9 when the 'Cats do battle against Big Ten foe Illinois.
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