Hosting the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2012, No. 7-seed Northwestern took on No. 10-seed Wisconsin at Vandy Christie Tennis Center Thursday.
The Wildcats (10-17, 3-6 Big Ten) faced their northern foe nearly three weeks after defeating the Badgers (1-22, 0-9 Big Ten) 5-2.
Thursday afternoon’s match concluded in similar fashion, as NU ended Wisconsin’s season with a 4-1 victory to secure a place in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.
The Badgers started the match with a notable disadvantage, as they only had five active players. This meant they were forced to forfeit the No. 3 doubles slot, and the ’Cats had to win just one of the two doubles matches to secure the doubles point.
Quickly, NU won the doubles point, as the No. 2 pairing of senior Presley Thieneman and freshman Greyson Casey dispatched Matthew Fullerton and Tomas Zlatohlavek 6-1.
Thienemen set up match point with a slick forehand down the line, and Casey hit a drop volley on match point to secure the victory. Coach Arvid Swan called this match the highest level he’s seen the duo play throughout the year.
“They were very aggressive in terms of their movement at net,” Swan said. “I thought they both returned extremely well. It was making Wisconsin come up with three or four volleys every point, and over the course of a match, that’s hard to do.”
In addition to clinching the doubles point for the ’Cats, Thieneman and Casey broke a three-match losing streak with their dominant play.
No. 1 doubles pairing of junior Felix Nordby and senior Gleb Blekher, the 53rd ranked doubles team in the nation, was down 3-1 when doubles play concluded.
With Wisconsin only having five healthy players, it forfeited the No. 6 singles slot, meaning NU started singles play with a 2-0 advantage.
The hosts came into singles play blazing hot, winning the first game in each match. They went on to win four of the five opening sets. No. 2 Blekher and No. 3 senior Saiprakash Goli both hit backhand winners to win their opening sets, while No. 4 Nordby hit a forehand down the line.
Nordby’s match was the first to conclude, as he secured a 6-3, 6-2 victory. It marked his third consecutive straight set victory.
“He’s playing with a lot of confidence, and he’s been a strong point for us all year,” Swan said. “I think he feels like at that position, he can beat anybody.”
This gave NU a 3-0 edge, but No. 5 junior Max Bengtsson’s 6-4, 6-2 loss gave the Badgers their only point of the match. Still, being up a set in each of the remaining matches gave the ’Cats some comfort.
No. 3 Goli had dominated his first set en route to a 6-1 victory, but the second set was not as smooth sailing. After breaking his opponent Zlatohlavek at 4-4 in his second set, Goli was set to serve for the match at 6-1, 5-4.
However, he found himself in a 40-0 hole in his own service game. He went on to win four consecutive points to secure the victory for the hosts, pushing NU to the quarterfinals to face No. 2-seed Michigan.
The Wolverines will face the ’Cats at 1:30 p.m. Friday.
Friday will mark a rematch of the March 29 duel between the squads, which Michigan won 4-0. Despite this prior loss, Swan is heading into the match with confidence in his squad.
“The team’s taken a jump over the last 10 days,” Swan said. “I just feel like we’re playing better. Everybody’s understanding their role … We just have to be highly competitive at all spots.”
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