Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Opens Duel Meet Season at Home Sunday
1/12/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 12, 2013
#41 Northwestern (0-0) vs. Ball State (0-0)
10 a.m. • Combe Tennis Center
Live Stats
#41 Northwestern vs. Western Michigan (1-0)
7 p.m. • Combe Tennis Center
Live Stats
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's men's tennis team opens up the duel meet portion of its 2012-13 season Sunday as it hosts a pair of opponents at the Combe Tennis Center.
The Wildcats take on Ball State at 10 a.m. before squaring off against Western Michigan at 7 p.m.
NU enters duel meet season ranked No. 41 in the ITA team rankings. The Wildcats are the sixth-highest ranked Big Ten team in the rankings, trailing No. 4 Ohio State, No. 16 Illinois, No. 20 Michigan, No. 22 Indiana and No. 35 Minnesota.
Individually, junior Raleigh Smith is highest-ranked NU player at No. 108 after winning the Big Ten indoor singles title in the fall. He also teamed with Sidarth Balaji to capture the Big Ten indoor doubles crown.
Northwestern completed 2012 with a 15-11 duel-meet record and ranked No. 42 in the final ITA rankings. The 'Cats advanced to the 2012 NCAA Tournament, falling to No. 23 LSU in the opening round.
Ball State posted an 18-10 overall record last spring under head coach Bill Richards who is now in his 41st season. Sophomore Ray Leonard was a first-team All-Mid-American Conference selection as a freshman, while Dalton Albertin was a second-team All-MAC pick a year ago.
Western Michigan opened its duel-meet season with a 6-1 home win over Detroit on Friday. The Broncos won the MAC a year ago, posted a 17-12 duel record and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the ninth time in school history. Junior Nadin Indre was the 2012 MAC Player of the Year.
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