Northwestern looked to get in the win column for the first time this year but failed to capitalize, dropping both of its matches over the weekend.
In their opening match Friday night, the Wildcats (0-3, 0-0 Big Ten) traveled to Memphis for a non-conference showdown against the Tigers (4-0, 1-0 AAC).
NU encountered immense difficulties against the Tigers throughout the match, as the ‘Cats couldn’t secure a win on any court in singles and doubles, resulting in a shutout 4-0 defeat for Northwestern.
One of NU’s lone bright spots from their loss to the Tigers was senior Gleb Blekher, who gave first-team All-ACC honoree Pablo Alemany a serious run for his money in their singles match. Blekher went toe-to-toe with the all-conference star in the first set, as Alemany won 7-6. However, the contest was cut short in the second set once Memphis secured a match point.
While the purple and white dropped its second match of the weekend 4-3 against Louisville (3-0, 0-0 ACC), it was a different storyline for the ‘Cats as they faced a heartbreaking loss as opposed to their earlier blowout defeats.
NU started the day slowly against Louisville, dropping two of its three doubles courts. However, the ‘Cats bounced back quickly in singles, tying the match behind three victories, which created an opportunity for senior Presley Thieneman and Louisville’s Natan Rodrigues to duel it out for the match point.
Thieneman and Rodrigues went back and forth for the first two sets, with Thieneman narrowly winning the first set 7-6, and Rodrigues squeaking out a 7-6 victory in the second. However, in the third set, Rodrigues took full control and pulled out a 6-2 victory, which clinched the match for Louisville.
The ‘Cats will look to rebound from a disappointing weekend this Saturday, as they travel to Cambridge for the ITA Kickoff. First up on the docket, SEC foe Ole Miss.
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