Men’s Tennis: Wildcats to host first two rounds of NCAA Tournament
Daily file photo by Daniel Tian
Strong Kirchheimer hits a forehand return. The Cats’ No. 3 singles player will look to extend his 12-match winning streak in the tournament.
May 3, 2016
Men’s Tennis
Despite a loss in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament, the Wildcats maintained a top-16 ranking and will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the NCAA announced Tuesday.
The No. 14 Cats (25-4, 10-1 Big Ten) will play Valparaiso (22-5, 6-0 Horizon League) in the tournament’s opening round. Northwestern will also host a first-round matchup between Stanford and Notre Dame, and will play the winner of the two if the team advances past the Crusaders.
All games after the second round of the tournament will be hosted by the University of Tulsa, where the Cats will face No. 3 UCLA if the favorites win out.
NU will be looking to solidify itself as a national powerhouse after an early exit in the Big Ten Tournament. Prior to the loss, the Cats set a program record for wins in a season, riding depth at the front end of the singles lineup to historic success.
The berth is NU’s fifth straight and the 15th in program history. The first- and second-round showdowns, taking place in Evanston, will be played at the outdoor Vandy Christie Tennis Center. The Cats first play Saturday, May 14 at 1 p.m.
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Twitter: @GarrettJochnau
