EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern will get the 2018 season underway Thursday evening, hosting North Carolina State in a dual match. The action will begin at 6 p.m. CT in the Combe Tennis Center.
 
The contest will be the first for the Wildcats as a team since appearing in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament last spring. Chicago's Big Ten Team has made six straight tournament appearances under head coach Arvid Swan.
 
NU returns five members from last year's team to lead a young squad that contains four first-years and no seniors. Juniors Michael Lorenzini, Jason Seidman and Ben Vandixhorn as well as sophomores Chris Ephron and Dominik Stary will look to continue a string of successful seasons for the program.
 
The meeting will be the tenth all-time between the 'Cats and the Wolfpack, with Northwestern holding a narrow advantage having won five of the previous nine. The two teams last met early in the 2017 campaign, a match which NU won 6-1.
 
NC State enters the contest with a 2-0 record following consecutive home wins over Big South opponents to open the season. The Wolfpack took down Gardner-Webb 5-2 before beating Winthrop 7-0.
 
Thursday will be the first of 12 nonconference matches for the Wildcats before the commencement of Big Ten play.
 

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