Northwestern
Penn State
'Cats Look to Nail Down Big Ten Title on the Road
4/19/2018 9:01:00 PM | Women's Tennis
| NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S TENNIS: GAME DAY INFORMATION | |||||
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME | LOCATION | VIDEO | LIVE STATS |
| Fri., April 20 | Penn State | 3 p.m. CT | Sarni Tennis Center University Park, Pa. |
N/A | GoPSUSports.com |
| Sun., April 22 | Ohio State | 11 a.m. CT | Stickney Tennis Center Columbus, Ohio |
OhioStateBuckeyes.com (indoor only) |
OhioStateBuckeyes.com |
| Social: Twitter (@NUWildcatTennis) | Instagram (@nuwildcattennis) | Facebook | |||||
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern's women's tennis team looks to clinch its first Big Ten regular-season title in six years when it heads out on the road this weekend to face Penn State on Friday and Ohio State on Sunday. Friday's match gets underway at 3 p.m. Central time while Sunday's contest begins at 11 a.m. CT.
The 12th-ranked Wildcats enter the final weekend of the regular season with a 17-4 overall mark and a perfect 9-0 league record. NU can clinch at least a share of the Big Ten title and the No. 1 seed for next week's conference tournament in Minneapolis with either one win or a loss by Michigan (9-1) at Michigan State on Saturday.
Northwestern last claimed a league title in 2014 when it won the Big Ten tournament, capping a stretch of 16 straight years in which the 'Cats captured a conference regular-season and/or tournament championship.
The Wildcats are coming off a pair of convincing home wins last weekend, taking down Wisconsin 7-0 on Saturday before taking down Minnesota 6-1 on Sunday. Senior Erin Larner led the way by posting a pair of wins at both No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in earning her second consecutive Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor and her third overall this season.
Larner leads the Wildcats with a No. 39 national ranking in singles, while Maddie Lipp comes in at No. 70. The duo pairs up in doubles for a No. 4 ranking while the team of Alex Chatt and Lee Or are No. 31 this week.
Penn State enters Friday's match with a 7-13 record and a 2-7 mark in Big Ten play. The Nittany Lions dropped a pair of 5-2 decisions last weekend at Purdue and Indiana. Northwestern has won all 29 previous meetings with Penn State, including posting a 4-0 win in Evanston last season.
No. 31 Ohio State (12-6, 6-3 B1G) hosts Illinois on Friday prior to Sunday's match against the Wildcats. The Buckeyes won, 6-1, at Indiana and, 5-2, at Purdue last weekend. All three of the team's Big Ten losses (Nebraska, Michigan, Minnesota) have come by a 4-3 margin. Anna Sanford is ranked No. 56 in singles and pairs with Shiori Fukuda for a No. 39 ranking in doubles. Fukuda is No. 62 in doubles when paired with Maria Tyrina. NU holds a 36-9 series lead against the Buckeyes.
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Players Mentioned
