Saturday, January 25
Urbana-Champaign, Ill.
12 p.m. CT
Northwestern
at
Illinois
Photo by: Mary Grace Grabill/Northwestern Athletics
‘Cats to Continue Dual Season Against Trio of In-State Rivals
1/24/2025 5:08:00 PM | Women's Tennis
EVANSTON, Ill. - Riding the momentum of a dominant shutout victory over Butler, Northwestern women's tennis looks to remain undefeated this weekend through a slate of three matches in two days. The 'Cats will travel south to face rival Illinois in a non-conference meeting on Saturday at noon CT, then return to Evanston for a doubleheader on home soil on Sunday, hosting DePaul at 11:00 a.m. CT and Eastern Illinois at 4:00 p.m. CT.
Dating back to last season, Northwestern has won six of its last seven matches in regular season dual play.
The 'Cats will open up the weekend against Illinois (0-1), whose one match this season resulted in a 4-2 loss to Notre Dame. The Fighting Illini come into this season off a solid 17-10 showing and a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals appearance in 2024. While Illinois defeated Northwestern 5-1 at home last year, Northwestern holds a 55-12 all-time series lead.
This season the Fighting Illini feature two ranked singles competitors in No. 109 McKenna Schaefbauer and No. 111 Violeta Martinez. Schaefbauer posted a 17-10 (5-4 B1G) individual record last season, while Martinez finished 2024 at 10-8 in singles action.
After their road trip to Champaign, the 'Cats will host the DePaul Blue Demons (0-1) in the opening match-up of Sunday's doubleheader. Like Illinois, DePaul comes to Evanston after a loss to Notre Dame in the dual season opener, as the Blue Demons were swept by the Fighting Irish 4-0. Northwestern has dominated its crosstown rivals in the all-time series, holding a perfect 8-0 record.
To wrap up the weekend, Eastern Illinois (0-1) will come into town to do battle with the 'Cats at Combe Tennis Center. The Panthers are also seeking their first win after a 6-1 loss to North Dakota this past weekend. The match-up between the two teams will be the first in school history.
Northwestern's Britany Lau and Mika Dagan Fruchtman come into the weekend nationally ranked at No. 42 in the ITA doubles rankings.
After this weekend's slate, the 'Cats will return to action on February 2 for a dual match-up against Georgia Tech. Northwestern will then host the ITA Team Indoor Championships in Evanston from February 7-11.
Dating back to last season, Northwestern has won six of its last seven matches in regular season dual play.
The 'Cats will open up the weekend against Illinois (0-1), whose one match this season resulted in a 4-2 loss to Notre Dame. The Fighting Illini come into this season off a solid 17-10 showing and a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals appearance in 2024. While Illinois defeated Northwestern 5-1 at home last year, Northwestern holds a 55-12 all-time series lead.
This season the Fighting Illini feature two ranked singles competitors in No. 109 McKenna Schaefbauer and No. 111 Violeta Martinez. Schaefbauer posted a 17-10 (5-4 B1G) individual record last season, while Martinez finished 2024 at 10-8 in singles action.
After their road trip to Champaign, the 'Cats will host the DePaul Blue Demons (0-1) in the opening match-up of Sunday's doubleheader. Like Illinois, DePaul comes to Evanston after a loss to Notre Dame in the dual season opener, as the Blue Demons were swept by the Fighting Irish 4-0. Northwestern has dominated its crosstown rivals in the all-time series, holding a perfect 8-0 record.
To wrap up the weekend, Eastern Illinois (0-1) will come into town to do battle with the 'Cats at Combe Tennis Center. The Panthers are also seeking their first win after a 6-1 loss to North Dakota this past weekend. The match-up between the two teams will be the first in school history.
Northwestern's Britany Lau and Mika Dagan Fruchtman come into the weekend nationally ranked at No. 42 in the ITA doubles rankings.
After this weekend's slate, the 'Cats will return to action on February 2 for a dual match-up against Georgia Tech. Northwestern will then host the ITA Team Indoor Championships in Evanston from February 7-11.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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