In its final two matches before Big Ten play begins, Northwestern made mincemeat of Northern Kentucky and Marquette at Combe Tennis Center Saturday.
With their opponents entering the weekend with a combined 1-17 combined record on the season, the Wildcats (7-7, 0-0 Big Ten) seemed poised for straightforward success. Coach Arvid Swan’s side got the job done, dispatching Northern Kentucky 6-1 and Marquette 7-0.
The wins brought NU’s record up to .500 for the first time since the end of January, when the team was 2-2.
“It’s definitely good to have two wins going into the Big Ten Season,” graduate student Saiprakash Goli said. “Now we’re 7-7, so it’s a good confidence booster.”
In its first matchup of the day, NU took the doubles point against Northern Kentucky with senior Felix Nordby and sophomore Greyson Casey winning 6-2 at No. 1, and Goli and junior Chad Miller winning 6-4 at No. 2.
When Swan released his singles lineup, regular No. 4 freshman Carter Pate was notably absent for the third consecutive match after suffering an injury prior to last Sunday’s match against Notre Dame. Pate was sporting a boot on his left foot as he watched from the sidelines, and Swan confirmed he expected Pate to miss significant time.
“We don’t know how long, but he’s gonna be out for a bit,” Swan said.
Sophomore Jackson Caldwell made his second straight appearance in the singles lineup, slotting in at No. 5, while freshman Vincent Yang played at No. 6 with senior Max Bengtsson resting.
The ’Cats dominated the singles proceedings with the inexperienced bottom of the lineup playing its part — Nordby won 6-1, 6-1 at No. 3, Yang triumphed 6-0, 6-3 and Caldwell clinched for NU with a 6-0, 6-2 victory.
Caldwell, who appeared in only three singles matches during his freshman season while dealing with injuries and struggled with a separate wrist injury this fall, captured his second career dual season singles win.
“It’s been really good to be back playing, winning and being on court with my brothers,” Caldwell said. “I’m back to where I need to be, and obviously there’s more to come.”
In the remaining matches, Miller at No. 4 and Goli at No. 1 each won 6-2, 6-2, while Casey suffered the team’s only defeat, losing 7-5, 6-3 at No. 2.
Facing Marquette in the afternoon, Swan made a major change to the doubles lineup, breaking up his No. 1 and No. 2 pairings. Goli and Casey teamed up at the top spot, while Nordby and Miller played a step below. Nordby and Miller won 6-1, while Goli and Casey led 4-2 when their match was left unfinished, with Bengtsson and Yang capturing a 6-2 victory at No. 3.
“I think Greyson has different capabilities in doubles — obviously he has a bigger serve and he’s taller, which helps as well,” Goli said. “But at the same time, I do know how Chad plays and there’s a lot of chemistry there.”
The ’Cats thrashed the Golden Eagles in singles, dropping just six games across six first sets.
Miller took his opponent to the cleaners, winning 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5. Caldwell won 6-0, 6-4 at No. 6, before Nordby clinched with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 2. Bengtsson at No. 4, Casey at No. 3 and Goli at No. 1 all also won in straight sets to seal a 7-0 sweep.
“I thought we played better in the second match,” Swan said. “That was kind of a goal after the first match, to have a better performance. So I was pleased with the progress between match one and two.”
With three consecutive wins under its belt, NU will commence conference play next weekend at home against Wisconsin and Nebraska. Swan said the team is feeling confident with its Big Ten schedule looming.
“The team has improved a lot from the first match of the year to right now,” Swan said. “But we need to take a next step and beat some of these higher ranked teams. That starts Friday with Wisconsin.”
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