Coming off back-to-back Big Ten wins, No. 48 Northwestern looks to reach its goal of a .500 record in conference play this weekend by winning its final two home matches.
The road does not get any easier. After beating then-No. 24 Wisconsin, NU (15-6, 3-3 Big Ten) will continue to face tough opponents: first, No. 33 Minnesota (15-5, 4-2) on Saturday, followed by No. 58 Iowa (11-5, 3-3) on Sunday.
Although the opponents are formidable, the Wildcats’ record at home this season is equally impressive. The team is 11-1 at home, with its only loss coming to No. 49 Michigan. The Cats have defeated conference foes Michigan State and Wisconsin at home thus far.
As NU has become more competitive and positioned itself for a run at the NCAA tournament, players and coaches alike have noticed the increased fan support and said it provides an even greater home court advantage.
“We’ve had very good fan support this year, which has been really nice, especially for me as a senior,” senior Marc Dwyer said. “It really means a lot for us to come out and play hard at home and try to provide our fans with a winning experience.”
The Cats realize the importance of the two matches this weekend with their goal of achieving at least a .500 conference record within reach. Not only will the matches make a difference in the final record, but they will make a difference in the way the team moves forward.
“If we beat Minnesota, it puts us in a really good spot to make the (NCAA) tournament,” junior captain Alex Sanborn said. “We basically have to beat Iowa just because we’re ranked ahead of them. These two matches are huge – they’ll help our Big Ten record so we can get a better seed at the Big Ten tournament.”
Next week, the Cats wrap up their Big Ten schedule with road matches at No. 3 Ohio State and No. 61 Penn State.
Although NU has already experienced more success this year than last, coach Arvid Swan said the team needs to focus on its upcoming matches rather than on what is down the road.
“We have to be prepared for each individual team, know their styles of play, know their strengths and know their weaknesses,” Swan said. “We have to play well. If we do that, hopefully we’ll give ourselves a chance to win.
“We have a chance to make the NCAA tournament, but we have to win matches to do it. We know that there is a real goal there, but we have to focus more on the goal of winning each match rather than the goal of making the tournament.”
With only one junior and one senior, the Golden Gophers seem inexperienced. However, many of their players are from outside the United States., including 24-year-old Israeli freshman Ishay Hadash, who is ranked No. 60.
Swan said when it comes to playing tennis in the Big Ten, age is not as important as the development made throughout the season.
“I’m not sure the age of the kids matters as much as what you’ve learned through the year,” Swan said. “I’m confident in our young kids and our older kids. Once you get through a year of playing college tennis is the Big Ten, you gain some experience and should be ready to play.”
The match against Iowa on Sunday will be “Senior Day,” honoring Dwyer, senior Philip Kafka and graduate student Alexander Thams. Dwyer said he has “no clue” what it will be like to play a match at Northwestern for the last time.
“It’ll be weird, for sure,” Dwyer said. “My parents and grandparents are coming out to watch. I’ve always enjoyed the matches more than anything else, so it’ll be weird to have them come to an end.”
