Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, March 27
University Park, Pa.
6 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Penn State
Photo by: Christina Lin/Northwestern Athletics
Men's Tennis Back on the Road to Visit Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State
3/26/2026 12:32:00 PM | Men's Tennis
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No. 69-ranked Northwestern embarks on a stretch where it plays five of its final seven regular season matches on the road by traveling to face Penn State on Friday, March 27, at 6 p.m. CT and No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday, March 22, at 11 a.m. CT.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (13-8, 1-5 Big Ten) were defeated 4-1 by No. 35 Michigan State and 4-3 by No. 44 Michigan. Junior Ethan Schiffman accounted for half of Northwestern's point total over the weekend, winning two singles matches in straight sets at No. 4 singles. The Wildcats' three points were the most they tallied against Michigan since 2017; they collected the doubles point, Schiffman at No. 4 singles, and senior Chad Miller at No. 6 singles.
Northwestern's 13 wins are tied for the third-most in the conference and exceed the team's totals from both the 2023 (10) and 2024 (12) dual seasons. From Jan. 18-Feb. 14, Northwestern held a nine-match winning streak, the program's longest streak since winning nine straight to open the 2017 dual season. The Wildcats have eight sweeps this season, their most in a campaign since 2023 (9).
Junior Greyson Casey and sophomore Carter Pate check in as the ITA's No. 25-ranked doubles team in the nation, as they boast an unblemished 16-0 record together. 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's 16 wins are the most by a Wildcat duo since Strong Kirchheimer and Dominik Stary won 19 in the 2016-17 season. Pate and Casey are two wins away from tying Danny Weiss and Martin Hampe (1984-85) for the 10th most wins by a doubles team in program history.
Pate, who has competed at the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles in the majority of his matches, is tied for the most wins in singles with 12 (12-7) and in doubles with 17 (17-1). His 17 doubles wins are the most by a Northwestern player in a dual season since at least 2019. Pate's 29 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 Steven Forman tallied 11 (11-4).
Schiffman — a transfer from Cal — is tied with Pate for the most singles wins on the team with 12. Primarily playing at No. 4 singles, Schiffman has a 12-3 record, and his 80.0 win percentage in singles is the best on the team (min. 10 singles matches). He has a team-best four wins in Big Ten play. Furthermore, Schiffman has tallied the second-most wins on the team with 23, as he has an 11-6 doubles record. Schiffman and junior Cyrus Mahjoob are 9-6 together, typically appearing at the No. 2 doubles position.
Casey holds an undefeated 16-0 record in doubles. He has 20 total wins on the season, as he has four singles wins, playing primarily at the No. 3 slot.
First-year Cooper Han has enjoyed a fruitful start to his college career. Competing in the bottom third of the singles lineup, Han has a 9-3 singles record, as well as a 4-1 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 have won five consecutive matches over the Nittany Lions (13-7, 1-4 Big Ten) dating back to 2021, while also holding a 29-8 advantage in the complete series history. Penn State comes off a weekend in which it picked up its first conference victory over Purdue before falling to Indiana. The Nittany Lions are led by No. 1 singles player Michael Wright, who has a 10-9 record in the dual season. David Lindsay, primarily appearing at No. 4 singles, leads the team with 14 singles victories (14-4). Lindsay and Wright are Penn State's No. 1 doubles team, holding a 7-6 record this season.
Northwestern is seeking a victory over the Buckeyes (17-3, 4-1 Big Ten), who have won the Big Ten regular season title every completed season since 2006, for the first time since April 24, 2005. The Wildcats have not defeated Ohio State on the road since 1999, and will be eyeing their first win over a top 10 opponent since Feb. 4, 2024, defeating No. 8 Duke, 4-3. The Buckeyes come off a week in which they defeated Texas A&M, Indiana and Purdue. They have five ranked singles players: Aidan Kim (No. 9), Preston Stearns (No. 16), Jack Anthrop (No. 27), Alex Okonkwo (No. 32), and Nikita Filin (No. 85). In addition, Ohio State has the No. 1 doubles team nationally in Filin and Brandon Carpico. Okonkwo and Alexander Bernard are the No. 17 doubles team in the country, while Kim and Bryce Nakashima rank No. 28.
Northwestern returns home for its final home matches of the season next weekend, when it hosts Purdue on Friday, April 3, at 6 p.m. CT and No. 60 Indiana for Senior Day on Sunday, April 5, at 10 a.m. CT.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (13-8, 1-5 Big Ten) were defeated 4-1 by No. 35 Michigan State and 4-3 by No. 44 Michigan. Junior Ethan Schiffman accounted for half of Northwestern's point total over the weekend, winning two singles matches in straight sets at No. 4 singles. The Wildcats' three points were the most they tallied against Michigan since 2017; they collected the doubles point, Schiffman at No. 4 singles, and senior Chad Miller at No. 6 singles.
Northwestern's 13 wins are tied for the third-most in the conference and exceed the team's totals from both the 2023 (10) and 2024 (12) dual seasons. From Jan. 18-Feb. 14, Northwestern held a nine-match winning streak, the program's longest streak since winning nine straight to open the 2017 dual season. The Wildcats have eight sweeps this season, their most in a campaign since 2023 (9).
Junior Greyson Casey and sophomore Carter Pate check in as the ITA's No. 25-ranked doubles team in the nation, as they boast an unblemished 16-0 record together. 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's 16 wins are the most by a Wildcat duo since Strong Kirchheimer and Dominik Stary won 19 in the 2016-17 season. Pate and Casey are two wins away from tying Danny Weiss and Martin Hampe (1984-85) for the 10th most wins by a doubles team in program history.
Pate, who has competed at the No. 1 slot in both singles and doubles in the majority of his matches, is tied for the most wins in singles with 12 (12-7) and in doubles with 17 (17-1). His 17 doubles wins are the most by a Northwestern player in a dual season since at least 2019. Pate's 29 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 Steven Forman tallied 11 (11-4).
Schiffman — a transfer from Cal — is tied with Pate for the most singles wins on the team with 12. Primarily playing at No. 4 singles, Schiffman has a 12-3 record, and his 80.0 win percentage in singles is the best on the team (min. 10 singles matches). He has a team-best four wins in Big Ten play. Furthermore, Schiffman has tallied the second-most wins on the team with 23, as he has an 11-6 doubles record. Schiffman and junior Cyrus Mahjoob are 9-6 together, typically appearing at the No. 2 doubles position.
Casey holds an undefeated 16-0 record in doubles. He has 20 total wins on the season, as he has four singles wins, playing primarily at the No. 3 slot.
First-year Cooper Han has enjoyed a fruitful start to his college career. Competing in the bottom third of the singles lineup, Han has a 9-3 singles record, as well as a 4-1 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 have won five consecutive matches over the Nittany Lions (13-7, 1-4 Big Ten) dating back to 2021, while also holding a 29-8 advantage in the complete series history. Penn State comes off a weekend in which it picked up its first conference victory over Purdue before falling to Indiana. The Nittany Lions are led by No. 1 singles player Michael Wright, who has a 10-9 record in the dual season. David Lindsay, primarily appearing at No. 4 singles, leads the team with 14 singles victories (14-4). Lindsay and Wright are Penn State's No. 1 doubles team, holding a 7-6 record this season.
Northwestern is seeking a victory over the Buckeyes (17-3, 4-1 Big Ten), who have won the Big Ten regular season title every completed season since 2006, for the first time since April 24, 2005. The Wildcats have not defeated Ohio State on the road since 1999, and will be eyeing their first win over a top 10 opponent since Feb. 4, 2024, defeating No. 8 Duke, 4-3. The Buckeyes come off a week in which they defeated Texas A&M, Indiana and Purdue. They have five ranked singles players: Aidan Kim (No. 9), Preston Stearns (No. 16), Jack Anthrop (No. 27), Alex Okonkwo (No. 32), and Nikita Filin (No. 85). In addition, Ohio State has the No. 1 doubles team nationally in Filin and Brandon Carpico. Okonkwo and Alexander Bernard are the No. 17 doubles team in the country, while Kim and Bryce Nakashima rank No. 28.
Northwestern returns home for its final home matches of the season next weekend, when it hosts Purdue on Friday, April 3, at 6 p.m. CT and No. 60 Indiana for Senior Day on Sunday, April 5, at 10 a.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
David G. Kabiller NU for Life Program - 2025 Video
Tuesday, August 19
This is Northwestern Athletics | 2024-25 Recap
Tuesday, August 19
Northwestern Tennis | New Locker Room Virtual Tour
Wednesday, October 11
Men's Tennis- Gleb Blekher's Ace Clinches Berth in NCAA Tournament Second Round (5/5/23)
Friday, May 05
