Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Trek to Face Spartans and Wolverines
4/5/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 5, 2013
#29 Northwestern (17-5, 3-2 Big Ten) at #49 Michigan State (8-10, 2-3 Big Ten)
Saturday, April 6, 2013 • 11 a.m. CT
MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts
East Lansing, Mich.
#29 Northwestern at #34 Michigan (9-7, 4-1 Big Ten)
Sunday, April 7, 2013 • 11 a.m. CT
Varsity Tennis Center
Ann Arbor, Mich.
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 29 Northwestern hits the road for the second-consecutive weekend as it travels to No. 49 Michigan State on Saturday before heading to No. 34 Michigan on Sunday. First serve is set for 11 a.m. Central time each day.
The Wildcats returned from a three-week hiatus to split a pair of Big Ten matches on the road last weekend. NU was edged 4-3 at No. 47 Minnesota last Friday before bouncing back to take down No. 70 Wisconsin on Sunday. The 'Cats posted wins in five of six singles matches in the victory over the Badgers after dropping the doubles point.
As Northwestern hits the midway point of the conference schedule following Saturday's match, the 'Cats currently find themselves tied for fourth place in the league standings at 3-2 along with Indiana. Fifth-ranked Ohio State is alone in first at 5-0, while Michigan, No. 28 Illinois and No. 37 Minnesota are a game back at 4-1.
Chris Jackman has won each of his last 10 singles matches that have finished for NU, mainly at No. 6. Raleigh Smith and Sidarth Balaji are both 16-4 in dual competition, while Jackman is close behind at 16-5, including 5-0 against Big Ten foes.
Like Northwestern, Michigan State split a pair of road matches last weekend, falling 6-1 at Indiana on Friday before bouncing back to take down Purdue by the same score on Sunday. The victory was the 300th in the career of head coach Gene Orlando. Denis Bogatov sports a team-best 9-3 dual meet record for the Spartans, primarily at the No. 5 spot. John Patrick Mullane has an 11-5 record singles record, including 8-3 when competing at No. 4. The Wildcats defeated MSU 6-1 last season in Evanston.
Michigan notched wins in both of its road matches last weekend, taking down Purdue 5-2 before slipping past Indiana 4-3. Shaun Bernstein rallied from a set down to post a three-set win in the decisive singles match at No. 6. The Wolverines' lineup is paced by Evan King who is ranked No. 15 in singles play. He is also ranked No. 12 in doubles when teaming with Bernstein and No. 30 when paired with Alex Buzzi. Michigan posted a 5-2 victory over the Wildcats in Evanston a year ago.
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