Friday, March 10
Evanston, IL
5 PM CT
Northwestern
3
vs
4
Illinois
Photo by: Zoe Davis
‘Cats Set To Battle Pair Of Top-10 Ranked Foes This Week
3/21/2023 12:00:00 PM | Women's Tennis
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Northwestern visits Duke Wednesday, entertains Ohio State Sunday
EVANSTON, Ill. (March 21, 2023) – Following what will amount to a 12-day hiatus from head-to-head competition, Northwestern women's tennis is back in action this week to take on a pair of opponents who reside in the top 10 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Team Rankings.
The Wildcats open the week by visiting Durham, N.C. on Wednesday to close non-conference action by clashing with No. 10 Duke at 3 p.m. (CT). Northwestern returns to the friendly confines of the Combe Tennis Center on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., opening a three-match homestand against No. 7 Ohio State.
Sunday's tilt with the Buckeyes will serve as part of a tripleheader of Northwestern tennis action, with the Wildcat men set to matchup against Penn State at 10:30 a.m. and Chicago State at 6 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern gave No. 28 Illinois all it could handle back on March 10, coming up on the short end of a hard-fought 4-3 decision to the Fighting Illini at the Combe Tennis Center.
After dropping the doubles point, Northwestern rallied to split the singles matchups. Maria Shusharina rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win in straight sets, while Justine Leong prevailed in a marathon first set, 7-6 (7-4), on her way to a victory of her own, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, over No. 100 Ashley Yeah. Kiley Rabjohns rounded out the scoring on the evening for the 'Cats, picking up her second consecutive win in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
B1G HONOR FOR LEONG
For her efforts against Illinois, Leong was tabbed the Big Ten Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week this past Wednesday. Leong, who has seven singles wins to her name this season, is the first Wildcat to earn the weekly league honor since Julie Byrne during the 2019-20 campaign.
LOOKING AHEAD
Currently sitting at No. 10 in the ITA Team Rankings, Duke, which holds a 15-2 overall record that includes a 5-1 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) action, has won four straight and seven of its last eight matchups. The Blue Devils are coming off a road sweep of No. 38 Clemson, 5-2, and No. 26 Georgia Tech, 4-3.
Duke is led on the singles front by Chloe Beck, who is ranked second nationally with a spotless 14-0 mark in dual action. Beck is also part of one of the Blue Devils' top doubles tandem, alongside Camron Morra. The duo boasts an 11-1 mark on the year and checks in at No. 32 in the latest ITA Doubles Rankings.
Ohio State, which hosts Purdue on Friday before heading to Evanston, resides at 10-5 overall with a spotless 3-0 record in Big Ten Conference play. In their most recent action, the Buckeyes blitzed Minnesota, 4-0, this past Sunday.
Ohio State features a trio of players that reside in the latest ITA Singles Rankings, headlined by Irina Cantos Siemers, who sits 21st in the single rankings with an 8-4 ledger in dual action this season. In doubles, Cantos Siemers and Sydni Ratliff have formed one of the nation's top pairings, checking in at ninth in the national poll.
Gallery: (3-10-2023) Women's Tennis vs #28 Illinois
The Wildcats open the week by visiting Durham, N.C. on Wednesday to close non-conference action by clashing with No. 10 Duke at 3 p.m. (CT). Northwestern returns to the friendly confines of the Combe Tennis Center on Sunday at 2:30 p.m., opening a three-match homestand against No. 7 Ohio State.
Sunday's tilt with the Buckeyes will serve as part of a tripleheader of Northwestern tennis action, with the Wildcat men set to matchup against Penn State at 10:30 a.m. and Chicago State at 6 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Northwestern gave No. 28 Illinois all it could handle back on March 10, coming up on the short end of a hard-fought 4-3 decision to the Fighting Illini at the Combe Tennis Center.
After dropping the doubles point, Northwestern rallied to split the singles matchups. Maria Shusharina rolled to a 6-2, 6-2 win in straight sets, while Justine Leong prevailed in a marathon first set, 7-6 (7-4), on her way to a victory of her own, 7-6 (7-4), 6-2, over No. 100 Ashley Yeah. Kiley Rabjohns rounded out the scoring on the evening for the 'Cats, picking up her second consecutive win in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Energy at Combe was ?? on Friday! #GoCats pic.twitter.com/2TV5adUHze
— NU Women's Tennis (@NUWildcatTennis) March 13, 2023
B1G HONOR FOR LEONG
For her efforts against Illinois, Leong was tabbed the Big Ten Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week this past Wednesday. Leong, who has seven singles wins to her name this season, is the first Wildcat to earn the weekly league honor since Julie Byrne during the 2019-20 campaign.
?????? honor for Justine!
— NU Women's Tennis (@NUWildcatTennis) March 15, 2023
Justine Leong is the first ?? to be named Big Ten Player of the Week since 2019-20.
?? https://t.co/hyNNo3l2ES#GoCats pic.twitter.com/k0mNOg8tXj
LOOKING AHEAD
Currently sitting at No. 10 in the ITA Team Rankings, Duke, which holds a 15-2 overall record that includes a 5-1 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) action, has won four straight and seven of its last eight matchups. The Blue Devils are coming off a road sweep of No. 38 Clemson, 5-2, and No. 26 Georgia Tech, 4-3.
Duke is led on the singles front by Chloe Beck, who is ranked second nationally with a spotless 14-0 mark in dual action. Beck is also part of one of the Blue Devils' top doubles tandem, alongside Camron Morra. The duo boasts an 11-1 mark on the year and checks in at No. 32 in the latest ITA Doubles Rankings.
Ohio State, which hosts Purdue on Friday before heading to Evanston, resides at 10-5 overall with a spotless 3-0 record in Big Ten Conference play. In their most recent action, the Buckeyes blitzed Minnesota, 4-0, this past Sunday.
Ohio State features a trio of players that reside in the latest ITA Singles Rankings, headlined by Irina Cantos Siemers, who sits 21st in the single rankings with an 8-4 ledger in dual action this season. In doubles, Cantos Siemers and Sydni Ratliff have formed one of the nation's top pairings, checking in at ninth in the national poll.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2
#1 Singles Match
12
Kate Duong / 0 [ILLINOIS]
22
66
#2 Singles Match
12
Ashley Yeah / 0 (100/-) [ILLINOIS]
62
76
#3 Singles Match
123
Megan Heuser / 0 [ILLINOIS]
166
632
#4 Singles Match
12
Josie Frazier / 0 [ILLINOIS]
67
46
#5 Singles Match
12
Kasia Treiber / 0 [ILLINOIS]
66
24
#6 Singles Match
12
Kida Ferrari / 0 [ILLINOIS]
44
66
Order of Finish:
1,5,2,6,4,3
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