April 3, 2008

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will hit the road this weekend for a pair of dual matches in its final stretch leading to the Big Ten Championships. The Wildcats make a trip to Columbus, Ohio to take-on Big Ten rival and second-ranked Ohio State at 11 a.m. Friday, April 4. The 'Cats then head to Bloomington, Ind., where they meet the 39th-ranked Hoosiers of Indiana at noon Sunday, April 6.

In its last outing, Northwestern (7-11, 0-5) dropped a pair of matches at home, losing 7-0 against 15th-ranked Illinois and 5-2 against Purdue. The Wildcats look to this weekend as a turning point to gain momentum in Big Ten play.

Beginning this weekend, the 'Cats have only five dual matches remaining before the Big Ten Championships. Northwestern currently stands in tenth place in the Big Ten and continues to search for its first conference win of the season. Marc Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga./Independent Study H.S.) and Juan Gomez (Mexico City, Mexico/South Florida) have each recorded conference victories this season. As a team, the Wildcats are 4-11 in Big Ten dual doubles.

Ohio State (21-1, 4-0) won its last match at Indiana, 6-1. The second-ranked Buckeyes have won ten-consecutive matches, with their only loss coming in a 4-1 decision against No. 1-ranked Virginia. Ohio State owns the all-time record against Northwestern, 52-37.

Indiana (12-5, 2-2) lost in its last dual against Ohio State, 6-1. Each of the Hoosiers' losses has come against nationally ranked opponents this season. Northwestern has matched-up evenly with Indiana in its programs history, with the Hoosiers edging the all-time series, 41-35.

After this weekend, Northwestern will return to action April 12-13 to host a pair of dual matches in Evanston. The Wildcats welcome Minnesota at noon Saturday, April 12, before hosting 52nd-ranked Iowa at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 13.