Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Opens ITA Kick-Off with Arizona State
1/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Live Scoring
ITA Kick-Off Weekend
EVANSTON, Ill. – The Northwestern women's tennis team begins the 2015 regular season by hosting No. 32 Arizona State in the first round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Saturday. The 17th-ranked Wildcats open the year inside the Combe Tennis Center at 11 a.m.
NU welcomes three highly ranked teams to Evanston in what is regarded by the ITA as the toughest grouping out of the 15 across the country. No. 21 Rice takes on No. 44 Kentucky in the other match Saturday immediately following NU-Arizona State.
The winner of each group advances to the ITA National Indoor Championships in February. The championships are hosted by the University of Virginia at Boar's Head Sports Club in Charlottesville, Va.
Northwestern is a two-time champion at the national tournament. In 2009, the 'Cats powered their way through the competition and beat Georgia 4-1 in the finals. A year later, NU won its second consecutive title with a 4-2 win over North Carolina.
Northwestern shut out both opponents in last year's ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Wildcats opened with a 4-0 win over Oklahoma State and advanced to Virginia with a 4-0 victory against Arizona State.
The Sun Devils opened up the 2015 campaign with a 7-0 win over UC-Davis last Saturday. They boast a pair of ranked singles players with Desirae Krawczyk at No. 37 and Ebony Panoho at No. 62. Panoho partners with Gussie O'Sullivan to make up the 53rd-ranked doubles pairing in the nation.
Rice also opened up the season with a 7-0 win. The Owls shut out Lamar last weekend and come to Evanston with a 1-0 record. Natalie Beazant plays in the first singles position for Rice and is one of the best players in the country. Beazant is ranked No. 24 and put together a 10-3 mark in the fall season.
The Kentucky Wildcats head into the tournament with a 2-1 record. Kentucky started the season with a 4-3 loss to Hawaii and then won two in a row over College of Charleston and Belmont. The Wildcats have one ranked singles player with Aldila Sutjiadi just sneaking in at No. 125. Sutjiadi is part of a 19th-ranked doubles tandem with Nadia Ravita.
Fans can find more information on ITA Kick-Off Weekend and follow scores around the country at the official tournament page.
