Northwestern University Athletics
No. 19 Northwestern Set to Host Trio of Opponents
3/26/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
| #19 Northwestern (12-6, 2-1 B1G) vs. #11 Ohio State (15-6, 3-0 B1G) |
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| Date | Friday, March 27 | 5 p.m. |
| Location | Combe Tennis Center | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Scoring | NUsports.com |
| Live Updates | @NU_SportsLIVE |
| #19 Northwestern vs. #50 Penn State |
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| Date | Sunday, March 29 | Noon |
| Location | Combe Tennis Center | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Scoring | NUsports.com |
| Live Updates | @NU_SportsLIVE |
| #19 Northwestern vs. IUPUI |
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| Date | Sunday, March 29 | 6:30 p.m. |
| Location | Combe Tennis Center | Evanston, Ill. |
| Live Scoring | NUsports.com |
| Live Updates | @NU_SportsLIVE |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 19 Northwestern returns to Evanston to host three matches this weekend, beginning with a top-20 showdown with No. 11 Ohio State at 5 p.m. Friday.
All three matches are slated to be played at Combe Tennis Center based on weather forecasts. The 'Cats also square off against No. 50 Penn State at noon Sunday before hosting IUPUI later that night at 6:30 p.m.
NU (12-6, 2-1 B1G) is looking to bounce back from a 4-1 loss at Rice on Wednesday. Freshman Logan Staggs recorded the Wildcats' victory, posting a straight-sets victory at No. 4 singles for his fourth straight win.
Northwestern's lineup features a pair of nationally ranked players as sophomore Sam Shropshire is No. 92 while classmate Strong Kirchheimer is No. 124. In doubles action, Shropshire and Alex Pasareanu are ranked No. 69.
The Wildcats have won eight straight home matches this season since dropping their season-opener to then-No. 11 Duke.
Ohio State (15-6, 3-0 B1G) is paced by freshman Mikael Torpegaard who is ranked No. 32 in singles and won the ITA Midwest Region singles title in the fall. The Buckeyes have four ranked singles players overall, including Chris Diaz (No. 44), Ralf Steinbach (No. 83) and Herkko Pollanen (No. 116). OSU also boasts the nation's fifth-ranked doubles team of Kevin Metka and Steinbach, while Hunter Callahan and Diaz are No. 55 and the duo of Pollanen and Torpegaard are No. 74. Ohio State defeated Northwestern twice last season, winning 4-3 in Columbus during the regular season before posting a 4-0 win in the semifinal round of the Big Ten tournament.
The Buckeyes have won 96 consecutive matches vs. Big Ten foes since Northwestern defeated Ohio State 5-2 on April 24, 2005.
Penn State (9-10, 1-2 B1G) is coming off a 2-1 weekend that saw the Nittany Lions fall 4-3 at Michigan State before bouncing back with a 4-1 win over Michigan and a 7-0 triumph over Wagner on Sunday. The team is led by sophomore Alex Fennell who posted three victories in straight sets at the No. 1 singles position last weekend, including defeating 123rd-ranked Gijs Linders of Michigan State. Junior Matt Barry paces the squad with 10 singles wins in dual match play. The Nittany Lions travel to Urbana to face Illinois on Friday before making the trip north to Evanston.
IUPUI (6-11, 2-0 Summit League) enters the weekend having won its last two matches, both in conference play. The Jaguars defeated IPFW 5-2 on March 14 before rolling to a 7-0 win over Western Illinois March 20. Five of the Jaguars' six wins this season have come at home. Sophomore Akshay Verma was named the Summit League Men's Tennis Player of the Week on March 17. IUPUI hosts UIC on Friday and South Dakota State on Saturday prior to taking on Northwestern.
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