Tennis: The Cats split the ITA openers

It may be early in the year, but Northwestern’s tennis teams are hanging on.

The men’s team split their two games in Ann Arbor, Michigan last weekend, defeating the Arkansas Razorbacks 4-0, but fell by the same score to No. 4 Michigan. Northwestern, led by sophomores Steven Forman and Simen Bratholm, handed Arkansas its first loss of the season. The Cats battled the Wolverines the next day, but ultimately missed out on a trip to the ITA National Indoor Championships in what would have been a huge upset in college tennis.

Northwestern’s impressive performance led to its rise in this week’s ITA rankings, as the Cats are now ranked No. 23 in the country.

For coach Arvid Swan and his players, a decisive match weekend is in sight. The Cats hosted the No. 18 Harvard on Friday afternoon at the Combe Tennis Center before traveling to Durham, North Carolina to take on the No. 25 Duke Blue Devils on Sunday morning.

Coach Pollard’s team also split its two ITA Kickoff Weekend matches in Charlottesville, Va. The Wildcat women fell to South Carolina 4-2, but came back strong to defeat the Washington State Cougars 4-1 and end the weekend on a positive note.

The Cats also have big competition this weekend as they host No. 25 Georgia Tech at the Combe Tennis Center on Sunday.