Friday, April 4
East Lansing, MI
4 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Michigan State
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Men's Tennis Heads East to Michigan State, Michigan
4/3/2025 4:13:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Northwestern Men's Tennis (11-11, 3-4 B1G) will open the month of April on the road this weekend, as they travel east to take on No. 31 Michigan State and No. 23 Michigan. The 'Cats are set to take on the Spartans on Friday at 4 p.m. CT before facing the Wolverines on Sunday at 11 a.m. CT.
The 'Cats split a doubleheader this past weekend, suffering a sweep at the hands of No. 23 Illinois before winning in a sweep of their own against Youngstown State. Vincent Yang and Max Bengtsson battled hard at No. 3 doubles during the day, forcing a tiebreak game in their match against the Fighting Illini and handily winning their match against the Penguins. Chad Miller also performed well from No. 5 singles, defeating Mihai Haita of Youngstown State in straight sets and taking his match against Matthis Debru of Illinois down to the wire. Miller won six straight games in the second set against Debru to force a third set before the match was abandoned.
Following the weekend, Northwestern slotted in at No. 66 in the ITA National Men's Team Rankings.
The 31st-ranked Spartans (11-7, 6-2 B1G) had a four-match win streak snapped in their most recent action against No. 3 Ohio State. Three of the Spartans' previous four wins came over ranked opponents in No. 49 Nebraska, No. 57 Indiana and No. 47 Purdue. Michigan State has notched a number of notable upsets this season, including defeats of No. 7 Kentucky on January 17 and No. 10 Arizona on March 12.
The 'Cats will have their hands full facing four ranked singles competitors in East Lansing. Leading the group is No. 10 Ozan Baris, who comes into the weekend with a 20-10 record. No. 28 Aristotelis Thanos, No. 91 Matthew Forbes and No. 93 Max Sheldon round out the rest of the pack.
Northwestern comes into Friday's match 58-26 against the Spartans all-time, and 21-15 when facing Michigan State on the road. However, it was the then-18th-ranked Spartans who took the most recent matchup last season, 5-2.
Northwestern's second opponent of the weekend, No. 23 Michigan (12-8, 6-2 B1G), will host No. 24 Illinois before welcoming the 'Cats to Varsity Tennis Center on Sunday. The Wolverines have strung together a number of victories over the past month, with Nebraska and No. 3 Ohio State providing the only blemishes on their conference record. Three ranked singles competitors have helped them along: Gavin Young (78), Benjamin Kittay (82), and Will Cooksey (83). Young and Kittay are also ranked 14th on the ITA boards as a doubles pairing.
The Wolverines lead the all-time series against Northwestern with a dominant 79-28-1 record. The most recent two victories both came in 2024: one in regular-season play, and the other in the Big Ten Tournament.
Following this road trip, Northwestern will close out its home dual season with matches against Penn State and Ohio State next weekend. The slate will begin with a 5 p.m. CT contest against the Nittany Lions on Friday, then the 'Cats will celebrate Senior Day ahead of a noon matchup with Ohio State on Sunday.
The 'Cats split a doubleheader this past weekend, suffering a sweep at the hands of No. 23 Illinois before winning in a sweep of their own against Youngstown State. Vincent Yang and Max Bengtsson battled hard at No. 3 doubles during the day, forcing a tiebreak game in their match against the Fighting Illini and handily winning their match against the Penguins. Chad Miller also performed well from No. 5 singles, defeating Mihai Haita of Youngstown State in straight sets and taking his match against Matthis Debru of Illinois down to the wire. Miller won six straight games in the second set against Debru to force a third set before the match was abandoned.
Following the weekend, Northwestern slotted in at No. 66 in the ITA National Men's Team Rankings.
The 31st-ranked Spartans (11-7, 6-2 B1G) had a four-match win streak snapped in their most recent action against No. 3 Ohio State. Three of the Spartans' previous four wins came over ranked opponents in No. 49 Nebraska, No. 57 Indiana and No. 47 Purdue. Michigan State has notched a number of notable upsets this season, including defeats of No. 7 Kentucky on January 17 and No. 10 Arizona on March 12.
The 'Cats will have their hands full facing four ranked singles competitors in East Lansing. Leading the group is No. 10 Ozan Baris, who comes into the weekend with a 20-10 record. No. 28 Aristotelis Thanos, No. 91 Matthew Forbes and No. 93 Max Sheldon round out the rest of the pack.
Northwestern comes into Friday's match 58-26 against the Spartans all-time, and 21-15 when facing Michigan State on the road. However, it was the then-18th-ranked Spartans who took the most recent matchup last season, 5-2.
Northwestern's second opponent of the weekend, No. 23 Michigan (12-8, 6-2 B1G), will host No. 24 Illinois before welcoming the 'Cats to Varsity Tennis Center on Sunday. The Wolverines have strung together a number of victories over the past month, with Nebraska and No. 3 Ohio State providing the only blemishes on their conference record. Three ranked singles competitors have helped them along: Gavin Young (78), Benjamin Kittay (82), and Will Cooksey (83). Young and Kittay are also ranked 14th on the ITA boards as a doubles pairing.
The Wolverines lead the all-time series against Northwestern with a dominant 79-28-1 record. The most recent two victories both came in 2024: one in regular-season play, and the other in the Big Ten Tournament.
Following this road trip, Northwestern will close out its home dual season with matches against Penn State and Ohio State next weekend. The slate will begin with a 5 p.m. CT contest against the Nittany Lions on Friday, then the 'Cats will celebrate Senior Day ahead of a noon matchup with Ohio State on Sunday.
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