Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Seeks 17th Straight Big Ten Title
4/22/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Tournament Site
Bracket
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will look to win its second consecutive championship at home and 17th straight overall when it hosts the 2015 Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament this weekend at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center.
Dating back to 1999, the Wildcats have won either the Big Ten regular season title or the conference tournament championship in every season. They have won both nine times in that span. Northwestern has won the Big Ten Tournament in 15 of the last 16 seasons.
Head coach Claire Pollard has amassed a remarkable 47-1 Big Ten tournament record since arriving in Evanston prior to the 1999 season.
This year's event will run from Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, April 26. Play begins Thursday morning at 10 a.m. and concludes with the championship match on Sunday at noon. All matches are scheduled to be played outdoors at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center. Inclement weather could force play inside to the Combe Tennis Center throughout the weekend. The location will be determined on a match-by-match basis.
Northwestern earned the No. 3 seed in the 2015 tournament after a 9-2 conference campaign. The `Cats are winners of seven straight in Big Ten play and will take on sixth-seeded Illinois in the quarterfinals on Friday at 2 p.m.
The Wildcats beat their in-state rivals, 6-1, on March 20 inside the Combe Tennis Center. Northwestern took the first two doubles matches and won five in singles, including three in straight sets.
Northwestern brings a nationally ranked doubles team into tournament play this weekend. Alicia Barnett and Erin Larner have been climbing in the polls all year, and the duo is No. 39 in the latest ITA poll. Barnett and Larner are a perfect 6-0 in the Big Ten at No. 1.
The `Cats had a trio of 20 match winners during the regular season. Freshman Alex Chatt leads the team with 27 wins overall, including a 17-3 mark in duals. She went 10-1 in Big Ten play. Fellow freshman Erin Larner won 26 matches this season, and Lok Sze Leung won 24.
Last year's tournament in Evanston concluded in tremendous fashion as Northwestern rallied from a 3-1 deficit to No. 1 seed Michigan to win the final three matches and capture a 4-3 decision for the title. In front of a large crowd, with the team score tied at three, Belinda Niu came back from a 5-2 deficit in the third set to score five straight points and send Northwestern to a 16th straight championship.
Live scoring will be available for all matches during the 2015 Big Ten Tournament. Scoring and updated information can be found on the tournament page. Daily recaps will be posted to NUSports.com.
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