Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Prep for Competitive Weekend Slate
1/29/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 29, 2015
| #30 Northwestern (2-2) at #14 Notre Dame (2-1) |
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| Date | Friday, Jan. 30 | 4:30 p.m. |
| Location | Eck Tennis Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind. |
| Live Scoring | |
| #30 Northwestern (2-2) vs. #11 Duke (4-0) |
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| Date | Sunday, Feb. 1 | 11 a.m. |
| Location | Combe Tennis Center | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Scoring | NUsports.com |
| Updates | @NU_SportsLIVE  |
| #30 Northwestern (2-2) vs. UIC (1-3) |
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| Date | Sunday, Feb. 1 | 6 p.m. |
| Location | Combe Tennis Center | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Scoring | NUsports.com |
| Updates | @NU_SportsLIVE |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 30 Northwestern prepares for a challenging weekend that features two top-15 opponents and a home doubleheader on Sunday, their first home matches of the season. The `Cats travel to No. 14 Notre Dame on Friday for a 4:30 p.m. contest, and return home on Sunday to face No. 11 Duke at 11 a.m. and UIC at 6 p.m.
Currently 2-2 on the season, NU dropped two spots in the ITA rankings to No. 30 after last weekend's ITA Kick-Off tournament. Singles and doubles rankings remain the same, with Strong Kirchheimer at No. 108 in singles.
Notre Dame is ranked No. 14 in the nation and holds a 2-1 season record. The Irish fell in their group's championships at the ITA Kick-Off as well, losing 4-2 to No. 16 Columbia.
There are two ranked singles players and two ranked doubles pairs on the Irish roster. Quentin Monaghan checks in at No. 37, and Josh Hagar is No. 82. Alex Lawson and Billy Pecor make up the No. 8 duo, and Eddy Covalschi and Hagar are right behind them at No. 9.
NU and Notre Dame met a year ago in Evanston in what turned out to be a fierce battle. Though ND emerged the 4-1 victors, each match in both singles and doubles was tough and tightly contested.
No. 11 Duke has shot out to a 4-0 start in 2015. The Blue Devils claimed victories over top-25 opponents Wake Forest and Memphis last weekend to advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships. They will face Illinois on Friday before coming to Evanston.
Duke boasts four ranked singles players: No. 18 Nicolas Alvarez, No. 37 Jason Tahir, No. 103 Raphael Hemmeler, and No. 112 Bruno Semenzato. The `Cats last met the Blue Devils two years ago in Durham, N.C., where Duke took a 4-0 win.
Local challenger UIC is 1-3 on the season after beating Wisconsin-Whitewater 4-3 last Friday. The `Cats topped the Flames 4-0 last season in their annual competition.
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