After defeating No. 10-seed Wisconsin with ease Thursday afternoon, No. 7-seed Northwestern drew No. 2-seed Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament.
Unfortunately for the Big Ten Tournament-host Wildcats (10-18, 3-6 Big Ten), Friday afternoon’s match had a less favorable result than their match the day before. NU could not overcome the Wolverines’ (15-11, 8-1 Big Ten) talent, falling 4-0.
The doubles point quickly went to Michigan, which rapidly overpowered the hosts. At one point, the Wolverines held a 3-1 lead on all three doubles courts.
The first doubles match to conclude was on the No. 2 court, where senior Presley Thieneman and freshman Owen Megargee lost 6-1. Freshman Greyson Casey is typically Thieneman’s partner at the No. 2 slot, but he was absent from the lineup Friday.
Shortly after, No. 3 freshmen duo of Nick Herdoiza and Jackson Caldwell fell 6-2, ceding the doubles point to Michigan.
On the No. 1 court, senior Gleb Blekher and junior Felix Nordby had their match against the nation’s No. 17 duo of Gavin Young and Jacob Bickersteth left unfinished, though they trailed 5-3.
Despite losing the doubles point, NU began singles play with a rejuvenated effort. While the ’Cats lost the first set in all six matches, five of those sets concluded 6-4 or closer.
The match quickly finished, however, as Michigan dominated the second sets. The first match to conclude was No. 6 Herdoiza’s, who lost 6-4, 6-2. No. 1 Thieneman then lost to Young 6-4, 6-2.
No. 4 Norby’s loss sealed the Wolverine victory. He lost 6-2, 6-4, marking the last completed match of the season for NU.
No. 2 Blekher held a 5-2 lead in the match’s opening set but ended up losing in a tiebreak. His match was unfinished with a 7-6(4), 2-1 deficit. Two courts over, No. 3 senior Saiprakash Goli’s match was also unfinished. He too was on the brink of defeat, sitting in a 6-4, 5-2 hole.
No. 5 junior Max Bengtsson was the only ’Cats player to steal the second set from a Michigan player. At the time of the match’s conclusion, the scoreline read 4-6, 6-2.
The Big Ten Tournament concluded Sunday, where Ohio State defeated Michigan 4-1 in the conference final.
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