Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Michigan State
Men's Tennis Returns Home to Host Michigan State and Michigan
3/19/2026 4:03:00 PM | Men's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. — No. 55-ranked Northwestern returns home for its penultimate homestand of the season, when it hosts No. 35 Michigan State on Friday, March 20 at 6 p.m. CT and No. 44 Michigan on Sunday, March 22 at 11 a.m. CT.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (13-6, 1-3 Big Ten) fell in their road matches to No. 30 Wisconsin and No. 51 Nebraska. Northwestern won two points over the weekend, with both coming in the matchup with the Cornhuskers. The team claimed the doubles point, and at the No. 1 singles slot, sophomore Carter Pate registered a 6-4, 6-2 win. It marked the first singles victory of his career against a Big Ten opponent.
Northwestern's 13 wins are the third-most in the conference, and its .684 win percentage ranks sixth in the conference. The Wildcats' 13 wins exceed their totals from the 2023 (10) and 2024 (12) dual seasons, and their 13-6 record is their best start to a dual season through 19 games since 2022 (13-6). From Jan. 18-Feb. 14, the Wildcats held a nine-match winning streak, the program's longest streak since winning nine straight to open the 2017 dual season. Northwestern has eight sweeps this season, its most in a campaign since 2023 (9).
Pate and junior Greyson Casey check in as the ITA's No. 25-ranked doubles team in the nation. They are Northwestern's highest-ranked doubles team since April 28, 2021 (Simen Bratholm and Nick Brookes, No. 22). The fifth-ranked doubles pairing in the Big Ten, Pate and Casey have competed at the No. 1 doubles spot for the Wildcats and boast an unblemished 14-0 record. Their 14 wins are the most by a Wildcat duo since at least the 2019 dual season.
Pate, who has competed at the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles in the majority of his matches, leads the team with 12 victories in singles (12-6) and 15 wins in doubles (15-1). His 15 doubles wins are the most doubles wins by a Northwestern player since the 2022 dual season, when Natan Spear had 16. Pate's 27 total wins lead the team and are the most by a Wildcat since Steven Forman had 32 in the 2022 dual season. Pate has eight wins at No. 1 singles, the most by a Northwestern player at the No. 1 singles spot since the 2023 dual season, when Forman tallied 11 (11-4).
Behind Pate, junior Ethan Schiffman — a transfer from Cal — has tallied the second-most wins on the team with 20. He has a 10-3 singles record, playing primarily at No. 4 slot, and a 10-5 doubles record.
Casey holds an undefeated 14-0 record in doubles. He has 18 total wins on the season, as he has four singles wins, playing primarily at the No. 3 slot.
First-year Cooper Han has lost just one match in his college career. Competing at the No. 6 singles position in all but two matches, Han has a 9-1 singles record, as well as a 4-0 doubles record. His nine singles wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Presley Thieneman in the 2021 dual season (12).
The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Spartans (7-7, 4-0 Big Ten), 57-28, but have dropped the previous two matches. Northwestern is aiming to defeat Michigan State for the first time since April 23, 2023. The Wildcats are eyeing their first win over a top 40 team since Feb. 4, 2024, when they defeated No. 8 Duke. The Spartans are one of three Big Ten teams that remain undefeated in conference play, coming off a weekend in which they defeated Penn State and Ohio State. They are led by a trio of ranked singles players, with Matthew Forbes ranked No. 11, Ozan Baris ranked No. 36, and Aristotelis Thanos ranked No. 50. Taym Alazmeh and Danial Rakhmatullayev are the nation's No. 18 doubles team, and Thanos and Mitchell Sheldon are the No. 30 doubles team in the country.
Northwestern is seeking its first victory over the Wolverines (6-6, 2-2 Big Ten) since April 15, 2016. Michigan split its previous weekend's results, falling to Ohio State before defeating Penn State. The Wolverines have two ranked singles players, with Max Dahlin at No. 10, the second highest-ranked player in the Big Ten, and Bjorn Swenson at No. 73. Dahlin is 9-1 at the No. 1 singles position. Dahlin and Swenson are the No. 9 doubles team nationally, though they have only appeared in two matches together in the dual season.
Following the homestand, the Wildcats travel to face Penn State and Ohio State on the road next weekend. The match against the Nittany Lions begins on Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. CT, and the match versus the Buckeyes starts on Sunday, March 29, at 11 a.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
