CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – No. 23-ranked Fighting Illini men’s tennis continues Big Ten play at Northwestern for their first one-match weekend of the season on April 8 at 12 p.m. at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center.
Illinois is 72-38-2 all-time vs. Northwestern. The Illini have won eight straight matchups in the series dating back to the 2015-16 regular-season, a 4-3 loss that the Illini avenged later that year with a 4-3 win in the Big Ten Tournament.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Wildcats head coach Arvid Swan, twice named Regional Coach of the Year, has taken the Northwestern men’s tennis program to new heights since he took over as head coach in 2008.
Graduate student Steven Forman has competed in more than half of the Wildcats’ contests, owning a 6-2 record, and six unfinished matches under his belt.
Fellow graduate student Trice Pickens sports an 8-4 record, including wins over No. 22 NC State’s Braden Shick (7-6 (5), 7-6 (6)) and No. 15 Harvard’s Steven Sun (5-7, 6-2, 7-6 (1)).
Northwestern (14-7) enters play this week 3-1 in Big Ten matches, tied with the Illini for third in the conference standings. The Wildcats are coming off similar results as the Illini, most recently collecting a pair of road wins over Indiana, 5-1, and Purdue, 4-0.
ILLINI IN THE RANKINGS
The Illini moved one spot in the rankings, sliding from 22 to 23, following the team’s wins over unranked Indiana (5-0) and Purdue (4-0).
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