Women’s Tennis

After falling to consecutive ranked opponents, Northwestern will look to get back on track against Oregon on this weekend’s trip to Eugene.

The No. 23 Wildcats (3-2) have been put to the test early this season, facing ranked opponents in each of their last three matches. After beating No. 21 Kentucky and being bested by No. 16 UCLA and No. 11 Texas, NU hopes to right the ship against the unranked Ducks (4-2).

If the Cats want to return to their winning ways, they will need to do so by improving on the singles end. NU was beaten handily in singles play by the Bruins and Longhorns, who boast a combined 10 players ranked in the top 120 nationally.

Having won just three singles matches over their last two times out on the court, the Cats will look to take advantage of an Oregon team that features no ranked players.

While NU may be lagging in singles, it continues to be one of the most dominant doubles teams in the country. Yet to drop a doubles match on the year, the Cats have been a virtual lock to secure the doubles point, even against some of the best competition college tennis has to offer.

NU will need to continue to rely on its highly-ranked doubles pairs, composed of seniors Erin Larner and Maddie Lipp and senior Alex Chatt and junior Lee Or, as it faces a Ducks team that has two pairs ranked inside the top 60.

Larner and Lipp recently captured the No. 1 spot in doubles in the nation, the second major honor Lipp has received in as many weeks.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @bretthaensel