Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Faces Early Test in Fourth-Ranked Duke
1/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
#22 Northwestern (1-1) vs. #4 Duke (3-0)
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2014 • 10 a.m. CT
Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center
Durham, N.C.
Live Scoring
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Northwestern women's tennis team travels to Durham, N.C. for a marquee matchup with No. 4 Duke on Sunday at 10 a.m. The Blue Devils are the highest-ranked team currently on the Northwestern schedule, and the match is part of a stretch of 12 of 13 against ranked opponents.
The 22nd-ranked Wildcats are coming off a dominant win over Rice during the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. After a close loss to No. 32 Arizona State on the event's opening day, NU bounced back to a 6-1 win over the 21st-ranked Owls. The `Cats won five singles matches in straight sets.
Freshman Erin Larner was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for her efforts last weekend. The Portland, Ore. native started her career with two wins, including one over No. 62 Ebony Panoho of Arizona State. Larner posted shutouts in two of the four sets she played.
A trio of Northwestern players opened up the dual season with perfect 2-0 marks. Freshman Alex Chatt and sophomore Jillian Rooney joined Larner in winning both respective matches. Chatt played at No. 5 singles during the ITA Kick-Off, while Rooney was in the sixth spot.
Duke has opened up the 2015 season with three consecutive wins, including two during ITA Kick-Off Weekend in order to qualify for the ITA National Indoor Team Championships. The Blue Devils posted a pair of 4-0 shutouts against Louisville and Memphis at home to advance.
Northwestern is the highest ranked opponent Duke has faced at this point in the season.
The Blue Devils claim two players in the national singles rankings. Samantha Harris is the highest ranked player for Duke at No. 55. Harris is 2-0 this season playing out of the fourth singles position. Ester Goldfeld is the No. 2 singles player for Duke and, at 2-0, is ranked 87th.
The Wildcats return home on Saturday, Feb. 14 to open Big Ten play against Penn State at 11 a.m.
