Sweet 16, take two.

For the second straight year, the Northwestern women’s tennis team has made it to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

This year the No. 7 Wildcats (24-4), who are on a 10-match winning streak, will face 10th-ranked Southern California (19-7), a team they already defeated 5-2 Feb. 17.

In that match, at the USTA/ITA Team Indoor Championships, NU took four of six singles matches and the doubles point.

The No. 2 doubles team of Shannon Duffy and Marine Piriou had a tough match, pulling out a 9-8 (5) victory over Melissa Esmero and Anita Loyola.

And No. 31 Colleen Cheng knocked off No. 28 Jewel Peterson 6-4, 6-4 at No. 1 singles.

When the Cats step on the court Thursday for the rematch, they will use a slightly different lineup than the one that trounced the Trojans in mid-February.

The Cats’ rearranged lineup means that the prior victory indicates little. Even so, this year NU will be taking on a team ranked lower than itself, a welcome reprieve from last season.

Last year NU’s tournament ended in the Sweet 16, when undefeated and top-ranked Stanford handed the Cats a 5-1 loss.

The Cats’ single point came from Colleen Cheng’s victory at No. 3 singles over then-No. 38 Teryn Ashley 6-4, 6-2.

The Cardinal made it all the way to the championship match before losing to No. 2 Georgia that year.

The Cats earned a berth in this year’s third round by defeating Kentucky 4-1 Sunday and Illinois-Chicago 4-0 Saturday in their first NCAA home matches in team history.

Meanwhile, Southern California was the one top-16 team that did not host its regional matches. The Trojans traveled to Old Dominion (Va.), where they defeated Maryland-Baltimore County 4-0 in the first round and South Alabama 4-1 in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16.

If the Cats can get past the Trojans, they will face either Baylor or second-seeded Georgia in the Elite Eight. NU dominated The Golden Bears 6-1 earlier this season and is 2-1 all time versus the Bulldogs.