No. 13 ‘Cats to Host Three Matches at Combe Tennis Center

EVANSTON, Ill. – After being ranked No. 13 in the most recent ITA Team Rankings, Northwestern welcomes a trio of opponents to Evanston this weekend at Combe Tennis Center. The ‘Cats will take on the Memphis Tigers at 6 p.m. CT on Friday, February 24 before hosting a doubleheader against Vanderbilt (12 p.m. CT) and UIC (5:30 p.m. CT). All matches are available to stream at nusports.com/watch. 

Lucky No. 1??3????

‘Cats rank 13th in the @ITA_Tennis Rankings! pic.twitter.com/J7WQf8blOL

— NU Men’s Tennis (@NUMensTennis) February 21, 2023

Last time out, the Wildcats took down Clemson in a thrilling 4-3 come-from-behind victory. Clemson picked up the doubles point to take an early 1-0 lead. Presley Thieneman made quick work of Matt Pitts 6-4, 6-4 to tie the match at one point apiece. Simen Bratholm’s 6-4, 6-3 win at #2 Singles to give the ‘Cats a 2-1 lead in the match. Clemson picked up wins at #3 and #5 Singles to retake a 3-2 lead, before Felix Nordby rallied to take down Max Smith 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 to even the match. With the score tied at 3-3, Ivan Yatsuk picked up a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 victory to give Northwestern its third straight win. 

The Comeback ‘Cats

Northwestern erases deficit to take down Clemson! pic.twitter.com/W7QXYifRKt

— NU Men’s Tennis (@NUMensTennis) February 19, 2023

The Memphis Tigers visit Evanston also on a three-match win streak, defeating Vanderbilt, USF, and Oklahoma. The latest ITA Rankings have Memphis ranked No. 42, while Pablo Alemany appears at No. 35 in the Singles Rankings. Alemany and his doubles partner David Stevenson rank No. 59 in the Doubles Rankings. Memphis defeated the ‘Cats 4-2 at Combe Tennis Center last January.

Vanderbilt comes to Combe Tennis Center after defeating Belmont 6-1 last Sunday. The Commodores are 3-5 and ranked No. 71 in the most recent ITA Team Rankings. When the two schools met last March, Vanderbilt came away with a 6-1 victory in Nashville.

UIC makes the trip up north as winners of five of its last seven. The Flames made two trips to Evanston last year, falling 4-0 both times.

Following the three-match homestand, the ‘Cats will pack their bags for New York/New Jersey to take on a pair of Ivy League foes in Columbia and Princeton.