Northwestern University Athletics
Friday, April 10
Evanston, Ill.
4:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern
vs
USC
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
Women's Tennis Closes Out Home Schedule with Trio of Weekend Matches
4/9/2026 4:25:00 PM | Women's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. — No. 56-ranked Northwestern closes a five-match homestand with its final home matches of the season, hosting No. 10 USC on Friday, April 10, at 4:30 p.m. CT, followed by a doubleheader on Sunday, April 12, against No. 16 UCLA at noon CT and Chicago State at 5 p.m. CT.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (12-8, 5-4 Big Ten) opened their homestand by taking down No. 75 Michigan State 4-1 before falling to No. 17 Michigan. Against the Spartans, Northwestern took a 1-0 lead by claiming the doubles point, including sophomore Erica Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala defeating the No. 43 doubles team in the country, 6-3. First-year Marelie Raath (6-3, 6-3), Jessel (7-5, 6-2), and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman (6-4, 6-3) recorded victories to help the Wildcats earn the victory.
The Wildcats' No. 56 ranking is its season-high, and Northwestern's 5-4 record in Big Ten competition is tied for the eighth-best mark in the conference. The Wildcats have won four of their last six matches.
Jessel and Phanthala are the No. 46-ranked doubles team in the nation, the ninth-highest ranked duo in the Big Ten. The pairing is 8-4 on the season, with three wins over ranked doubles teams. They are 6-3 at the No. 1 slot, the most wins by a Northwestern duo at the top slot since the 2024 dual season, when Justine Leong and Christina Hand had eight wins. Their eight wins are the most by any duo this season.
Phanthala, who has played all of her matches at the No. 1 singles position this season, is ranked as the ITA's No. 90 singles player in the country, the 16th-ranked player in the Big Ten. She is the first Northwestern player to crack the top 100 in the singles rankings since April 1, 2025, when Sydney Pratt was ranked No. 99. Additionally, she is the second-highest-ranked first-year in the conference. She is the first Wildcat first-year to be ranked in the top 100 since April 14, 2021, when Maria Shusharina was ranked No. 91. She has seven singles wins at the No. 1 position, the most by a Northwestern first-year at No. 1 singles since at least 2019.
Autumn Rabjohns — primarily playing at No. 3 singles — is tied for the most singles wins on the team with 12. She holds a 12-4 record, with two of her four losses coming to the nationally-ranked players. In addition, nine of Rabjohns' 12 wins have come with her dropping just five games or fewer. Sophomore Dagan Fruchtman is tied with Rabjohns with 12 singles wins (12-6), surpassing her total wins from last season (2-12) by sixfold.
Raath leads the team in wins with 21, having a 10-5 singles record alongside 11 doubles wins. Her 11 doubles victories lead the team. Raath's 21 wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Pratt had 24 in the 2022 dual season, and her 10 singles wins are the most by a Wildcat first-year since Pratt had 12 that season.
Jessel has a 7-2 record in singles this season, giving her a team-best .778 win percentage. Last season, she totaled six singles wins. In doubles this season, she is 10-4, with a team-high win percentage of .714.
Northwestern is set to face the Trojans (15-5, 8-1 Big Ten) for the first time since the 2003 dual season and is looking for its first win since Feb. 8, 2002. Friday's match will be the first time the two squads face off as conference opponents, and it will be the eighth meeting all-time. USC, which is tied for the second-best record in conference play, is coming off a weekend in which it defeated Washington and Oregon, dropping just one point. The Trojans have three nationally ranked singles players in Jana Hossam (No. 21), Emma Charney (No. 51), and Eugenia Zozaya Menendez (No. 125). Krisha Mahendran and Lily Fairclough are the No. 24 doubles team in the country.
The Wildcats will also be playing their first-ever conference match against the Bruins (11-6, 5-4 Big Ten). The teams last faced off in the 2018 dual season, and Northwestern last beat UCLA on Feb. 1, 2007. The Bruins most recently defeated Washington and Oregon, like USC. UCLA is led by two nationally ranked singles players: No. 17 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and No. 43 Mayu Crossley. In addition, the Bruins have the No. 35 doubles team in America with Olivia Center and Kate Fakih.
The Wildcats are 5-0 all-time and have never lost a point to the Cougars (1-20, 1-4 NEC). The teams last faced off in 2023. Last weekend, Chicago State recorded its first win of the season, defeating Mercyhurst 6-1.
Against the Trojans and UCLA, Northwestern is seeking its first top 25 victory since beating No. 9 Ohio State on Feb. 7, 2021.
The Wildcats conclude their regular season on the road, traveling to face No. 44 Maryland on Friday, April 17, at 1 p.m. CT and Rutgers on Sunday, April 19, at 11 a.m. CT.
This past weekend, the Wildcats (12-8, 5-4 Big Ten) opened their homestand by taking down No. 75 Michigan State 4-1 before falling to No. 17 Michigan. Against the Spartans, Northwestern took a 1-0 lead by claiming the doubles point, including sophomore Erica Jessel and first-year Margot Phanthala defeating the No. 43 doubles team in the country, 6-3. First-year Marelie Raath (6-3, 6-3), Jessel (7-5, 6-2), and sophomore Mika Dagan Fruchtman (6-4, 6-3) recorded victories to help the Wildcats earn the victory.
The Wildcats' No. 56 ranking is its season-high, and Northwestern's 5-4 record in Big Ten competition is tied for the eighth-best mark in the conference. The Wildcats have won four of their last six matches.
Jessel and Phanthala are the No. 46-ranked doubles team in the nation, the ninth-highest ranked duo in the Big Ten. The pairing is 8-4 on the season, with three wins over ranked doubles teams. They are 6-3 at the No. 1 slot, the most wins by a Northwestern duo at the top slot since the 2024 dual season, when Justine Leong and Christina Hand had eight wins. Their eight wins are the most by any duo this season.
Phanthala, who has played all of her matches at the No. 1 singles position this season, is ranked as the ITA's No. 90 singles player in the country, the 16th-ranked player in the Big Ten. She is the first Northwestern player to crack the top 100 in the singles rankings since April 1, 2025, when Sydney Pratt was ranked No. 99. Additionally, she is the second-highest-ranked first-year in the conference. She is the first Wildcat first-year to be ranked in the top 100 since April 14, 2021, when Maria Shusharina was ranked No. 91. She has seven singles wins at the No. 1 position, the most by a Northwestern first-year at No. 1 singles since at least 2019.
Autumn Rabjohns — primarily playing at No. 3 singles — is tied for the most singles wins on the team with 12. She holds a 12-4 record, with two of her four losses coming to the nationally-ranked players. In addition, nine of Rabjohns' 12 wins have come with her dropping just five games or fewer. Sophomore Dagan Fruchtman is tied with Rabjohns with 12 singles wins (12-6), surpassing her total wins from last season (2-12) by sixfold.
Raath leads the team in wins with 21, having a 10-5 singles record alongside 11 doubles wins. Her 11 doubles victories lead the team. Raath's 21 wins are the most by a Northwestern first-year since Pratt had 24 in the 2022 dual season, and her 10 singles wins are the most by a Wildcat first-year since Pratt had 12 that season.
Jessel has a 7-2 record in singles this season, giving her a team-best .778 win percentage. Last season, she totaled six singles wins. In doubles this season, she is 10-4, with a team-high win percentage of .714.
Northwestern is set to face the Trojans (15-5, 8-1 Big Ten) for the first time since the 2003 dual season and is looking for its first win since Feb. 8, 2002. Friday's match will be the first time the two squads face off as conference opponents, and it will be the eighth meeting all-time. USC, which is tied for the second-best record in conference play, is coming off a weekend in which it defeated Washington and Oregon, dropping just one point. The Trojans have three nationally ranked singles players in Jana Hossam (No. 21), Emma Charney (No. 51), and Eugenia Zozaya Menendez (No. 125). Krisha Mahendran and Lily Fairclough are the No. 24 doubles team in the country.
The Wildcats will also be playing their first-ever conference match against the Bruins (11-6, 5-4 Big Ten). The teams last faced off in the 2018 dual season, and Northwestern last beat UCLA on Feb. 1, 2007. The Bruins most recently defeated Washington and Oregon, like USC. UCLA is led by two nationally ranked singles players: No. 17 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer and No. 43 Mayu Crossley. In addition, the Bruins have the No. 35 doubles team in America with Olivia Center and Kate Fakih.
The Wildcats are 5-0 all-time and have never lost a point to the Cougars (1-20, 1-4 NEC). The teams last faced off in 2023. Last weekend, Chicago State recorded its first win of the season, defeating Mercyhurst 6-1.
Against the Trojans and UCLA, Northwestern is seeking its first top 25 victory since beating No. 9 Ohio State on Feb. 7, 2021.
The Wildcats conclude their regular season on the road, traveling to face No. 44 Maryland on Friday, April 17, at 1 p.m. CT and Rutgers on Sunday, April 19, at 11 a.m. CT.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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