Friday, April 14
Evanston, Ill.
4 p.m.

Northwestern

vs

Penn State

Erin Larner

First Place in Big Ten on the Line as 'Cats Host Penn State, Ohio State

4/13/2017 2:27:00 PM | Women's Tennis

EVANSTON, Ill. -- First place in the Big Ten Conference standings is up for grabs this weekend when No. 36 Northwestern hosts Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State. Friday's match gets underway at 4 p.m. while Sunday's match is slated for 11 a.m.

Weather permitting, the matches will be played outdoors at Vandy Christie Tennis Center. In the case of inclement weather, contests will be held indoors at Combe Tennis Center. Please note that Friday's start time is an hour earlier than originally scheduled.

Northwestern (11-8, 7-0 Big Ten) enters Friday's match having won its last six contests, all against Big Ten foes. The Wildcats come into play this weekend tied for first place in the conference standings alongside both Michigan and Ohio State.

The Wildcats have posted shutout wins in three of their last four matches, including in both of its road contests last weekend. NU topped Purdue 5-0 on Saturday before defeating Indiana 7-0 on Sunday. Redshirt junior Maddie Lipp was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Week for the third time in her career for her efforts in the wins over the Boilermakers and the Hoosiers.

Northwestern junior Erin Larner is in the ITA national singles rankings this week at No. 122. In doubles, the duo of Alex Chatt and Lipp are No. 15 while Larner and Brooke Rischbieth are No. 55. Lipp and Rheeya Doshi are No. 63 when paired together.

After playing its last four matches on the road, Northwestern is closing out its regular season by playing three of its final four matches in Evanston.

Penn State (5-12, 2-5 Big Ten) has dropped its last four matches and nine of its last 11. The Nittany Lions fell 5-2 at Nebraska last Friday and 6-1 at Iowa on Sunday. Northwestern has a perfect 28-0 record all-time against Penn State. The Wildcats posted a 6-1 win over the Nittany Lions on April 15 of last season in University Park.

Ohio State takes a 21-2 overall mark into its match at Illinois Friday evening. The Buckeyes have won seven straight matches and have only surrendered one point over that span. Ohio State's roster features six singles players who are nationally ranked, including Francesca Di Lorenzo who is ranked No. 1. Other ranked players include Anna Sanford (51), Gabriella De Santis (85), Miho Kowase (88), Sandy Niehaus (89) and Ferny Angeles Paz (117). In doubles, the team of Di Lorenzo/Kowase is No. 26 while De Santis/Niehaus is No. 47. Northwestern holds a 36-8 lead in its all-time series with Ohio State, though the Buckeyes have won the last three meetings.
 

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Players Mentioned

/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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