3/11/2015 2:52:00 PM | Men's Tennis
| at No. 16 Northwestern (11-5, 2-1 Big Ten) | |
| Date Time Venue Location Social Hashtags Match Notes |
Saturday, March 14 2 p.m. Dick Savitt Tennis Center New York, N.Y. @GoColumbiaLions | @ColumbiaMTennis #TurnItBlue Columbia Notes |
NEW YORK – The No. 23 Columbia men's tennis team hits the road for its first true road test of the season as the Lions travel to Evanston, Illinois, to take on No. 16 Northwestern Saturday, March 14 at 12 p.m.
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LOWDOWN ON THE NO. 23 LIONS (6-2)
After three straight matches in the Big Apple, the Lions carry a 6-2 record on the road. Three of Columbia's wins have come over top-20 opponents and three have come in the friendly confines of the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.
The Lions top court features the 16th-ranked racquet of Winston Lin. In dual matches this season, the senior has accumulated a 5-2 mark in matches that have reached a decision to lead Columbia's 31-14 singles record. Ashok Narayana has split time on the third (2-0) and fourth (3-1) courts to compile a team-best 5-1 singles record. Bert Vancura has also split time at two positions – four and five – to boast a 5-2 ledger. Dragos Igant, the 83rd-ranked singles player, meanwhile, has held down the second slot with a 5-2 dual mark.
For five straight outings, Columbia has captured the doubles point. No. 57 Mike Vermeer and Lin have teamed up for an undefeated 6-0 mark with five wins coming on court two and one on the top court. Vermeer also appears in the rankings with his sophomore partner Richard Pham at 42. Vancura and Ignat have also excelled for the Lions in doubles as the senior-junior duo paired up for a 5-1 mark. Max Schnur teams up with Narayana in doubles to represent the Columbia blue in the top-20 at No. 20.
SWEEPING
Columbia swept Binghamton and Monmouth in its last two outings to post back-to-back sweeps for the first time this season and first time since blanking Penn and Princeton in straight contests last season to capture the Ivy League Championship. A year ago, the Lions notched 13 clean sheets.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
For the past decade Columbia has put on a show for its home crowd posting a 61-7 record at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center including five undefeated home seasons. Currently, the Lions ride a 19-match win streak under the roof of the tennis center, dating back to Feb. 1, 2013. This season Columbia is on the road to its sixth unbeaten mark as it sits 3-0 in the friendly confines of the tennis center.
SCOUTING NO. 16 NORTHWESTERN (11-5, 2-1 BIG TEN)
The Wildcats, who have played 11 ranked opponents in 16 matches, are currently on a five-match win streak, including back-to-back sweeps, and hold a 7-1 record at home.
Sam Shropshire, who ranks 88th in the ITA, leads Northwestern on the singles court with an 11-5 record on the first court. Strong Kircheimer, the 107th-ranked player in the nation, is 12-3 overall with a 9-2 record on court two and a 3-1 mark in the third slot.
The Wildcats strongest doubles duo comes off the racquets of Alp Horoz and Mihir Kumar on the third court as the pair is 9-1 in the dual season.
WE MEET AGAIN
The Lions and Wildcats will meet for the first time in program history Saturday.
IN THE RANKINGS
After their performance at ITA Division I Men's National Team Indoor Championships, the Lions posted the program's highest ITA Ranking at No. 11 in the latest ITA Rankings. In the latest ITA rankings, Columbia remains in the top-25 at No. 23.
Seven Ivy League men's tennis teams appear on the national list with the Lions (23) and Harvard (21) landing in the top-25.
As of March 10, Columbia singles players, Winston Lin ranks 16th in the ITA followed by Dragos Ignat at 83rd. In doubles, Max Schnur and Ashok Narayana rank 23rd in the country while Mike Vermeer is on the 42nd and 57th doubles teams with Richard Pham and Winston Lin, respectively.
| DATE Jan. 6 Jan. 20 Jan. 28 Feb. 3 Feb. 17 Feb. 24 March 3 March 10 |
Rank 16 16 13 15 11 13 15 23 |
RELATED LINK: ITA RANKINGS
REWRITING HISTORY
Just about a month into the season, the Lions have already rewritten the program's history books. Here are a few highlights of what Columbia has already accomplished in 2014-15:
· Won ITA Kick-Off Weekend for the first time since appearing in the event seven years ago.
· Earned the first bid to ITA National Team Indoors for the first time in 20 years.
· Defeated the highest ranked opponent in then-No. 14 Notre Dame, 4-3, in the ITA Kick-Off Championship Jan. 25.
· Upstaged its defeat of then 14th-ranked Fighting Irish, with a 4-3 victory over then-No. 12 Cal in the back draw of ITA National Team Indoors Feb. 14.
· Earned the program's highest ITA Ranking at No. 11.
LAST TIME OUT
The 15th-ranked Columbia men's tennis team closed its three-match homestand perfect as it won its third straight match with a clean sheet over Monmouth Saturday afternoon at the Dick Savitt Tennis Center.
Ashok Narayana and Eric Jacobs fell to Alejandro Gomez Estrada and Ramy Bekheit, 8-5, on the third court, before Columbia did what it has for five-straight matches, win the doubles point. The Lions then rolled in singles to blank the Hawks.
MORE READING: No. 15 Men's Tennis Wins Third Straight, Sweeps Monmouth
UP NEXT
The Lions will embark on their Spring Break trip as they head to Indian Wells, California, for the Oracle Collegiate Challenge March 20-22.
